World Cup opening night proved this will be a tournament of wild contrasts... but if Brazil continue winning carnival spirit will endure

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Riot police used extreme measures against protestors prior to the game
Atmosphere in the stadium during the game way was electric
Brazil's success will determine how this World Cup is remembered

Published: 17:21 EST, 12 June 2014 | Updated: 18:02 EST, 12 June 2014

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This, as Thursday demonstrated, is going to be a World Cup of wild contrasts. A tournament played out against the backdrop of rubber bullets and civil unrest. A chaotic, carnival of football inside every stadium and a growing sense of resentment among those who could not even begin to entertain paying the price of a ticket.

While 11 million Brazilians continue to live in abject poverty, the team whose job it is to remind them that this is not just about FIFA suits and excess — but also about something as simple, as beautiful as a game of football — embarked on their journey.

An encounter with Croatia was the first of what Luiz Felipe Scolari regards as the seven steps Brazil must climb to win what he regards as their World Cup.

Ugly scenes: Protestors clash with police on Thursday afternoon before Brazil's opening game

Firing line: Police fire non-lethal rounds at protestors as tensions flare in Sao Paulo

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But it remained more than a little surreal given that it was only a few miles away that riot police employed extreme measures to deal with a group of protesters numbering no more than 50.

It sounded as unnecessary as enlisting the services of Sao Paulo’s Shock Battalion to escort Sepp Blatter from his car to a hotel lobby earlier this week.

The difference yesterday was that people got hurt, and that is sure to have saddened Scolari and his players however much they would have been lifted by a staggering rendition of the national anthem by the Brazilian supporters who kept singing even after the music had stopped. The atmosphere was electric, the sense of excitement nerve-tingling.

The night was not without its problems for the hosts. In one section of the stadium the lights appeared to fail, highlighting the fact that it takes more than a few thousand sacks of potatoes placed on seats — apparently each one was supposed to represent the weight of a small person — to establish whether it was ready for occupation.

Not in the script: Marcelo (second right) scores an own goal as Brazil fall behind to Croatia

In shock: Brazil fans can't believe it as their side fall 1-0 behind to Croatia after a Marcelo own goal

But Croatia, labelled ‘the Brazilians of Europe’, also put a bit of a spanner in the works, at least until Brazil gained some composure and began to play with the finesse that propelled them to victory in last year’s Confederations Cup.

That they failed to make their possession count as much as they would have liked was of little consequence in the end, the softest of penalties enabling Neymar to send this place potty.

It was not the only incident that will leave Croatia aggrieved. Fortune favoured the hosts last night, as did the decisions of a Japanese referee who should wince when he watches the replays of this clash.

Level best: Neymar (left) scores for Brazil to make it 1-1 and (below) celebrates

Pure relief: Brazil are ecstatic after Neymar scores to make it 1-1 against Croatia

But that will do nothing to dampen the belief that the dream can become a reality and, as Scolari said on the eve of this game, that their time has indeed arrived.

That Neymar’s time appears to have arrived too might just alter the atmosphere beyond the walls of the Arena de Sao Paulo. After this there might just be more desire to embrace the team if not the tournament as a whole.

That said, even after this victory, the ITV studio in Rio was attacked by protesters who pelted it with missiles and cracked the glass.

Going to ground: Fred goes down after seemingly minimal contact from Croatia defender Dejan Lovren

Come back here! Furious Croatia players charge after the referee after he awards Brazil a penalty

It will also help that, having beaten the second best team in their group, steps two and three against Cameroon and Mexico should not hold many problems.

Whether it leads to a shift in the polls and the number of Brazilians in favour of hosting the World Cup rises above 50 per cent again remains to be seen.

But every tournament needs the hosts to do well and this World Cup is no exception. It also needs its star players, and in Neymar Brazil certainly have one.

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Irteza365, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 1 day ago

Comeonn brazillll

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Matt, Vancouver, BC, 1 day ago

British press hating again. This will be an amazing World Cup.

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hendrox, Newcastle, 1 day ago

There's nothing quite as ironic as FIFA promoting world peace (the peace doves thing) while Indian and Nepalese slaves die building their stadiums in Qatar. Solidarity with the Brazilian protesters on this issue.