2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Match 01 Group A Brazil Vs Croatia Thursday June 12,2014

2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Match 01 Brazil Vs Croatia at Arena de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo

 

MATCH FACTS

 

  Brazil's 23 Member Squad

Head-to-head

• Brazil beat Croatia 1-0 with a goal from Kaka in their only previous World Cup meeting during the 2006 group stage in Berlin.
• The two sides drew 1-1 in Split in August 2005 in their only other encounter.

Brazil

• Brazil have won their last nine matches, scoring 30 goals and conceding only two.
• Their only defeat in the last 21 games came against Switzerland last August (W16, D4, L1).
• They are unbeaten in 37 matches in Brazil since a home defeat by Paraguay in 2002.
• Brazil are taking part in their 20th World Cup. They are the only team to have taken part in every single tournament.
• They have won the most games (67) and scored the most goals (210) at the World Cup.
• Only six members of the current 23-man squad have World Cup experience.
• Neymar has scored 22 goals in his last 28 international appearances.

Croatia

• They are unbeaten in the five matches since Niko Kovac took charge last October, winning three games and drawing two.
• Croatia lost three matches for the first time in a qualifying campaign during the World Cup preliminary stage.
• They have gone four World Cup matches without a win and only scored in one of those fixtures (a 2-2 draw with Australia in 2006).
• Croatia's last nine World Cup games have produced six red cards. 

Managers:

Luiz Felipe Scolari (Brazil)
Niko Kovac (Croatia)

Brazil beats Croatia 3-1

Goal Scorers
For Brazil -Neymar 29 & 71st minute penalty) and Oscar 90+1th minute
For Croatia -Marcelo 11th minute own goal

Brazil's defender Marcelo (top) scores an own goal to give Croatia the lead in the 11th minute

 Marcelo (right) looks against as his own goal gives Croatia the lead, much to the delight of Ivan Perisic 

Neymar equalises for Brazil against Croatia with a low 25-yard strike in the 29th minute

 

Stipe Pletikosa of Croatia dives attempting to save a penalty kick taken by Neymar

 Brazil's Neymar was booked for elbowing Croatia's Luka Modric

Brazil's Neymar (second left) is booked by referee Yuichi Nishimura for his elbow on Luka Modric

 Croatia players protest to the referee after Neymar's elbow on Modric

Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura sprays a line after calling for a free kick for Brazil against Croatia

Brazil fans at the Sao Paulo Arena 

Squads

Brazil
Julio Cesar, Dani Alves, Thiago Silva, Luiz, Marcelo, Paulinho (Hernanes 63), Gustavo, Hulk (Bernard 68), Oscar, Neymar (Ramires 88), Fred

Croatia 
Pletikosa, Srna, Corluka, Lovren, Vrsaljko, Modric, Rakitic, Perisic, Kovacic (Brozovic 61), Olic, Jelavic (Rebic 78)

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari rejected claims they were favoured by the referee and heaped praise on Neymar after the forward scored twice in a 3-1 win over Croatia in the World Cup opening game on Thursday June 12,2014

Scolari said his team showed great character after bouncing back from an early own goal and singled out 22-year-old Neymar for his man of the match performance.

Scolari also heaped praise on the Brazil supporters in the 62,103 crowd in Sao Paulo, a city with notoriously fickle fans who booed the team in their final warmup match for the World Cup.
"Our players were excellent, they showed determination to be able to come from behind. They were fantastic," Scolari said.
"But who really deserves praise are the fans. It was wonderful, the support we received here in Sao Paulo. If there's still any notion out there Sao Paulo doesn't root for the national team effusively enough, that was put to rest today."

Croatia coach Niko Kovac blamed "out of his depth" referee Yuichi Nishimura and warned the World Cup could turn into a circus after a contentious penalty decision effectively cost his team the opening game of the tournament against Brazil.

 

Japanese ref Nishimura ruled that Croatia's Dejan Lovren had fouled Fred when the Brazilian fell to the floor with 20 minutes remaining and the score at 1-1. Neymar converted the penalty for his second goal of the game and they went on to win 3-1 in Thursday's Group A match.

"This was ridiculous today, and if we continue in this way we will have a circus," Kovac told