The opening match for this year's World Cup between Brazil and Croatia didn't disappoint. Full of goals, drama, and controversy, stuff we've grown accustomed to in the past few World Cups. If you asked anyone who follows soccer who they thought was going to win, most likely they answered Brazil without hesitation. However Croatia put on quite a show that, for a short period of time, made us question how much we underrated this European side.
Brazil and Croatia were in the same group in the 2006 World Cup as well. In that tournament they were placed alongside Japan and Australia (remember at the time Australia was still a part of the OFC which is why a group containing both Japan and Australia was possible) and Brazil beat them 1-0 as Brazil would eventually win that group but Croatia would be knocked out in the group stage after only earning draws against the Socceroos and the Blue Samurai. Interestingly, every team from that group made it to Brazil this summer.
We all knew that Croatia were not without their offensive threats, with players like Luka Modric, Nikica Jelavic, and Ivan Rakitic, and had a decent back line as well that featured the likes of Darijo Srna, Dejan Lovren, and Vedran Corluka. Croatia had just as much of a chance, if not a bit better of a chance, as fellow group rivals Mexico and Cameroon did of reaching the knockout stage in 2nd place. Meaning this should've been a piece of cake for Brazil. Only it wasn't.
Right away Croatia were playing hard and it paid off when they managed to get a goal thanks to Marcelo's own goal. It was the first time ever the first goal scored at a World Cup was an own goal and it was Brazil's first ever own goal. Marcelo definitely was the weakest link in Brazil's lineup today. Aside from that big error, it seemed like the only other notable contributions he made to the game was his remarkable ability to be within 2 feet of the referee at all times, perfect for complaining about calls.
Both goalkeepers were well tested today with Julio Cesar and Stipe Pletikosa making some impressive saves, but Pletikosa would draw some criticism for being unable to save any of the goals Brazil scored on him, such as the penalty where Pletikosa managed to get both hands on it but STILL couldn't keep it out of the back of the net.
Despite Croatia looking impressive at times, Brazil dominated the possession stat and looked the more likely team to score more often than not. It's no surprise that Neymar saves the day for Brazil with his 2 goals, not to overlook Oscar's decent contribution to the scoreline as well.
Many would argue that the penalty call against Dejan Lovren was utter BS and that Fred dived. I saw some contact but it definitely looked fishy to me, but regardless of whether or not that call was justified I knew that penalty would've gutted Croatia, who had tried so hard to at least cost Brazil 2 points in this match. They still had a few good chances after Neymar scored the penalty, including a goal that was disallowed not because Julio Cesar was fouled but because the ball went out of play (I understand it was tough to see for some people).
Croatia's spirited effort was not enough to prevent Brazil from winning 3-1 in the opening match of the tournament, but I hope any other team considered an underdog in this tournament (such as the USA) take note of this game, because Croatia played great football/soccer despite being up against a more talented team, so that should be a source of inspiration.
Although Croatia did not earn any points, similar performances against Cameroon (their next opponent) and Mexico may well be enough to get 6 points at the end of the group stage. I hate to say Brazil got lucky because they played very well but they definitely got more than what they bargained for in this match and didn't look solid all the time. There's definitely room for improvement if they wish to win their 6th World Cup. Their next match against Mexico will show if Brazil learned from their mistakes from this match and if they deserve to be up there with Spain, Germany, Italy, and Argentina as true contenders to win the title. Another performance like this would only exponentially increase the question marks surrounding "A Seleção".
Up next, we have 6 teams competing in must win games. Croatia made it pretty clear that they don't plan on making it easy for either Mexico or Cameroon to qualify for the knockout stages, so 3 points from this match would definitely help either El Tri or Les Lions Indomptables out a lot. Mexico are slight favorites but Cameroon definitely have what it takes to be a worthy adversary for the CONCACAF side.
Netherlands would love to get some sweet revenge on Spain, and a win against Spain would definitely boost their chances of winning Group B, which would likely mean avoiding Brazil in the Round of 16. However, how much of an impact will injuries such as Rafael Van der Vaart and Kevin Strootman affect the Oranje? And which combination of Spanish players would be the right one to continue their international success?
If either Chile or Australia have a prayer of reaching the knockout stage, they'll need to deny the other team of 3 points in their first match. Chile are definitely the favorites but against a fearless Australian side with nothing to lose, they better bring their A game or possibly suffer an upset.
Should be great to watch! I'm hoping the World Cup will continue to produce entertaining matches such as the opening match, and it doesn't look like we'll be disappointed.
Honestly, Croatia dominated Brazil, but ultimately it was the ref who dominated Croatia... and that's why Brazil won.
ReplyDeleteI saw the match and it definitely didn't feel like either team was domination. Brazil did have more possession but Croatia had more "meaningful" possession. And this ref wasn't great.
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