Brazil Fights Back After Falling Behind Early
Published on June 12th, 2014 6:17 pm ESTThe pressure on the Brazilian host nation was noticeable as they took to the pitch to battle Croatia in the first game of the 2014 World Cup earlier today.
In previous World Cups, the host nation has refused to play in the very first game of the tournament due to the unbelievably high pressure associated with playing in the opening match. The pressure on Brazil was palpable today as they battled the scrappy team from Croatia.
Croatia looked to shock the world when they managed to take an early 1-0 lead after a Marcelo own goal. The tens of thousands of Brazilian fans were shocked as their team, the favourites to win the entire tournament, fell behind early.
In the 29th minute, Neymar, Brazil's best player, brought the home team to even after scoring a sneaky goal from outside of the box. Should the Croatian goalkeeper have gotten that shot? Maybe, but there is no denying that the shot was perfectly placed by Neymar. After that goal, it seemed to be just a matter of time before Brazil opened the floodgates.
Surprisingly enough, Croatia managed to keep it even well into the second half. In the 71st minute, Brazil was awarded a controversial penalty kick that will surely have people talking tonight. Neymar managed to squeeze it in and Brazil went up 2-1.
In stoppage team, Oscar managed to score a right footed shot from just outside the box to put his team up 3-1. Croatia, despite having put a major scare into Brazil, was dealt the loss.
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My expectation is that Brazil will play a much more composed game in their next contest as they will have gotten their first game behind them.
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There are three games on the schedule tomorrow - they are:
Mexico vs Cameroon
Spain vs Netherlands
Chile vs Australia
Spain vs Netherlands is the marquee match tomorrow as they two teams squared off in the finals of the 2010 World Cup.
