Am I the only one who really, REALLY doesn't want Brasil to win the world cup?

I don't. Neymar loves himself more than Ronaldo loves himself. He scored 2, but Oscar ran that game, and deserved his goal, too. Dreadful penalty decision aswell, Croatia were hard done to

Technological advancement my backside.
What does it take for a video ref to look at that penalty award and show it for the travesty it was and reverse it.
The ref was a joke.

And what is it with pundits that demand that Brazil win every World Cup.

I despair.

The only consolation I take is that it is not just England that are on the wrong end of refereeing howlers, which in no way excuses useless refs.

Also, in football cheats prosper ....

For the pen the Croatia player did have a little tug on the shoulder of Fred. Fred dived liked a cheating diving **** though and the ref was a complete **** for awarding that.

Thought that the Croatia player did jump in from distance on the keeper and his arm was above Caesar. That's a standard foul from nearly every ref and lino nowadays. The fact that Caesar fluffed his take made it look more debatable than it actually was. Frustrating but correct decision IMO.

I think the Ramires tackle for the third goal was a textbook midfield challenge. Took the ball cleanly and mugged the midfielder in a dangerous position. But I'm judging that challenge from the way the game was played in the 1980s. In 2014 that was sadly a tackle from behind and should have been given as a foul.

The Croatia goalkeeper made the ref look good.

The goal Croatia had disallowed was a shocking decision too I thought.

I agree, I thought the Croatian keeper who generally played well, was crap for all three goals.

Also I thought that Neymar should have walked for that elbowing.

Think it's fair to say that Neymar will be able to do no wrong in this tournament. Pundits were awful in 2010, basically sucking the ball into the net for any African team who was playing

Brazil haven't been this free-flowing, sexy football playing team since their failure in 1982. They have always played with a holding midfielder in front of the CBs and been cynical, dirty, cheating, reliant on 1 or 2 world class forwards etc. Despite this pundits/commentators/journalists still w@nk all over them and their supposed beautiful game. And it's worked for them to be fair.

I actually thought the ref was quite good up to the penalty decision last night. The Neymar yellow was right in my eyes though some refs could easily have given him a red. The disallowed Croatia goal was probably right in this day and age though that just shows how turd the game is at times these days when you can't challenge a keeper. Croatia showed in those last 10 minutes that this Brazil team is hugely fallible in midfield and at the back.

There's a strong argument for the red when you watch the replay and see Neymar looking at the Croatia player and then sticking his arm in the face.

I'm not really sure whether that was an intentional arm in the face or just Neymar protecting himself and accidentally catching him.

Definitely seen players walk for it, but seen plenty of others go with just a yellow as well. IMO a yellow is about right.

But considering this was Brazil, in Brazil in the WC opening match, it's Neymar, Brazil's most popular player. It would have taken an insanely strong ref to make a decision on a red in real time.

I think a Croatia player could have got away with a yellow for that challenge too. But the pen would have only been given for Brazil and virtually any other side would have been getting their player booked for that.

Where Brazil do score (pun intended) is simply that they shoot on sight.
They lash away from anywhere and some go in.
Trouble is, when they do, they are other than mere mortal goals, they are somehow magical from a nation that because its players have a bit of skill and like a dribble is deified.

I'm amazed Fernandinho doesn't start in this Brazil team. He offers mobility and protection to the back four that I just don't see any of those Brazilian midfielders offering to the same quality.

Fred would fit in well in the premier league given his knack for going down easy after minimal contact

Regards

King james

Scolari was in a perfect position to gain the moral high ground and say that it shouldn't have been a penalty.
He would have had the admiration of the world.
Instead he chose to remain the petulant biassed person he is.

Brazil can go f*ck themselves. Desperate for them not to win the world cup, 'orrible cynical team these days and phil scolari is fat petulant tw*t.

The rest of the world is on a hiding to nothing here. There are forces at work for brazil you just can't contend with. The weight of refereeing decisions will carry them all the way through and everyone can have a big w*nkathon over brazil winning in brazil.

Only half way through the second
game and we are steeped in controversy.

I am sympathising with the officials this time.
Very borderline.

But why are we allowed to see the truth and the people that matter aren't?

Give them help for pities sake.

Blatter go, you bloated b**tard.

Wow!
Netherlands take a bow!!

Great start to the world cup. I've spent months telling everyone that Uruguay aren't all that amazing without Luis and have been proved right. Costa Rica can qualify here, no doubt about that.

Why the hell don't England man mark Peirlo? There are NO tackles from England unless the back two make them!

Nobody has gone to the ball at all for the entire game .. useless, a recipe for defeat.

Woy is looking a bit clueless.

Baines hasn't done anything so far apart from letting Italians run past him.

Not his fault at all. Roy should have changed it after five minutes when it was clear Baines had two men to cope with on his own. Why he left it for an hour before he made the change is beyond me.

You seriously blame Baines over that? He had two players to cope with all night. Candreva was 'his' man, but he couldn't go tight on him as it left Darmian with acres of room. What's Baines supposed to do in that situation exactly? He goes for one of them, they just overlap and pass it to the other one. It was Hodgson's mistake in putting Rooney where he did. He should have changed it and put a proper midfielder on, if Lallana had played on the left, it would have been very different.

Well, it was better than I expected, and it was good to see some of the younger, more inexperienced players have a go. The weak links though do seem to be both full backs, and Hodgson should have changed things sooner than he did.
Against Uruguay I'd start Barkley instead of Henderson, as there's no need for 2 holding players against them.