Oscar's Classy Finish Clinched Brazil's 3-1 Win over Croatia

Brazil beat Croatia 3-1 in the 2014 World Cup opener, capping the victory with a nice goal by Oscar on the break which will not wind up on keeper Stipe Pletikosa’s highlight reel. The final scoreline flattered the hosts, who fell behind 1-0 and got back into the game on a soft-ish goal by Neymar and a dubious penalty call in the second half.

As poor as Brazil looked, at times, let’s remember a team can’t win a World Cup in its opening match. Teams, however, can see their World Cup dreams evaporate after dropping its first match. Chances are, Brazil’s so-so performance on Thursday will end up as nothing more than an afterthought.

Brazil takes on Mexico in its second game on Tuesday.