FIFA World Cup 2014: Cup off to a stormy start

Sao Paulo: A riot of colour and a congregation of vocal fans created an electric atmosphere for the opening match of the 2014 World Cup. Add a touch of class from the home team’s messiah and a controversial decision from referee Yuichi Nishimura, Brazil’s 3-1 win over Croatia in Group A here on Thursday was complete in every sense.

Thousands of fans, clad in the iconic yellow of Brazil, offered a memorable welcome to the World Cup which returned to its spiritual home after 64 years. American star Jennifer Lopez added a dash of glamour to the colourful opening ceremony. JLo appeared from a trapdoor along with rapper Pitbull to sing the official Cup song with Brazilian singer Claudia Leitte.

To their credit, Croatia were not intimidated by the atmosphere. Operating mainly on the counter, they remained toe to toe with their famous opponents until the 71st minute.

It was time for Nishimura to leave his imprint on the match. The Japanese referee made the fatal mistake of awarding a penalty for a foul the likes of which are committed every 10 minutes in top level football. It was the lucky break Brazil needed to open their campaign on a winning note. President Dilma Rousseff, under severe attack from the crowd throughout the match, was on her feet to applaud the lead.

Croatian coach Niko Kovac wasn’t pleased with the penalty call. “If that’s a penalty, we don’t need to play football anymore. Let’s play basketball instead. It’s a shame,” he said. Kovac has every right to feel aggrieved because his team had potentially been robbed of a point.