Brazil managed to escape with a win in the World Cup opener although the game was closer than the scoreline reflected as Brazil ended with a 3-1 victory over Croatia. Marcelo had the unfortunate luck of scoring an own-goal early in the first half but Neymar equalized everything before halftime. La Selecao pushed forward, scored a second goal when Neymar converted a penalty kick for a foul against Fred and Chelsea midfielder Oscar closed things out with a long-range effort in stoppage time. It wasn't a very strong performance from Brazil, but they did everything they needed to take home the three points.
Brazil: Julio Cesar; Dani Alves, Thiago Silva, David Luiz, Marcelo; Luiz Gustavo, Paulinho (Hernanes 63’); Hulk (Bernard 68’), Oscar, Neymar (Ramires 88’); Fred. DT: Luiz Filipe Scolari
Croatia: Pletikosa; Srna, Corluka, Lovren, Vrsaljko; Modric, Rakitic; Perisic, Kovacic (Brozovic 61’), Olic; Jelavic (Rebic 78’). DT: Nico Kovac
(0-3: Very Bad / 4: Bad / 5: Average / 6: Good / 7: Very Good / 8: Excellent / 9: Fantastic / 10: Superb / n.a: No grade assigned)
Brazil 
Luis Filipe Scolari
7 / Brazil’s manager did the right thing, putting the squad he trusts the most in the World Cup opener. Despite a slow start that included an early own goal, his side didn’t rattle and managed to get the draw before halftime. He cooled his side in the second half and as a result, they played a lot better on their way to a 3-1 win.
Julio Cesar
6 / Brazil’s goalkeeper didn’t have a lot do in the opener. He had nothing to do in Marcelo’s own goal as it surprised everybody and was quite solid throughout the rest of the match, including two great saves in the final minutes that kept Brazil’s lead intact.
Dani Alves
5 / FC Barcelona’s right-back was shaky in the first half and lost plenty of individual duels with Ivica Olic and Mateo Kovacic. His second half was slightly better but a player of his quality needs to produce at a higher level.
Thiago Silva
6 / Thiago Silva started the first half unfocused but he started playing better as the game advanced. The PSG defender didn’t have a lot of troubles containing Nikola Jelavic and put up a decent performance in the World Cup opener.
David Luiz
8 / The new PSG defender was the best player for Brazil on defense but that wasn’t a hard thing to accomplish. The center back was sound on the zonal coverage, played a very good game blocking shots and often pushed the lines forward when his side was losing. He even had a scoring chance with a header midway into the second half so it was a solid performance from the former Chelsea star
Marcelo
5 / Marcelo didn’t have a bad game but the own-goal surely drops his score. The Real Madrid defender became the first player in World Cup history to score an OG as the first goal of the tournament but that was not it. He wasn’t accurate with the runs on the attack and left plenty of spaces on defense.
Luiz Gustavo
7 / The Bundesliga starlet looked often lost in the first half as he was outpaced and outnumbered by Croatia’s attacking midfield. Hovewer, he improved drastically in the second half and ended up being one of Brazil’s best players with a strong performance in the defensive midfield.
Paulinho
6 / The Tottenham midfielder was unable to make an impact on the attacking midfield but he was a good complement to Luiz Gustavo in the defensive zone of the pitch. Still, he’s capable of more but his game should improve as the tournament advances.
Hulk
5 / Hulk was very inconsistent and was never able to get into a good position on the right flank. The Zenit forward was unable to use his strength and strong left-footed shot and as a result, he put up a very poor display that caused him to be replaced midway into the second half by Bernard.
Oscar
7 / The Chelsea midfielder was expected to be the link between the defensive midfield and the attack and he came up short in that role. Still, he was able to put a good performance with his usual accurate passing and was always available to start the attacks. He needs to be more explosive on the attack and he crowned his good performance with the third goal for Brazil.
Neymar
9 / The FC Barcelona forward was expected to lead La Selecao from the start and although he struggled in the early minutes, he turned out to be the most decisive player on the pitch. The former Santos star scored both goals, was the most dangerous player for Brazil and was the catalyst on offense, showing his usual skill while also being the playmaker of his side.
Fred
5 / Fred was a ghost on the attack today for Brazil. His only valuable action was to suffer the foul that ended with the penalty but he was unable to do more. He was dominated by Croatia’s defensive line and he clearly needs to improve in the next matches if he wants to remain in the starting lineup.
Bernard
5 / The Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder replaced Paulinho and he was the first substitution of the game looking to provide a spark on the attack. Although he did a good job with his passing and moved the ball forward consistently, he was unable to be the game-changer that Brazil needed.
Hernanes
5 / The Inter Milan midfielder did a good job holding the midfield replacing Hulk, but wasn’t a factor on the attack. He entered in a hybrid role in the pitch and never looked comfortable against a physical Croatian midfield.
Ramires
n.a. / The Chelsea midfielder replaced Neymar in the final minutes to hold on to the advantage. He didn’t do enough to receive a grade.
Croatia 
Niko Kovac
5 / Croatia’s managed lost against to Brazil, just like it happened when both sides played each other in the 2006 World Cup and Kovac was on the pitch. This time, the manager failed to introduce substitutions when needed and the two he made – Marcelo Brozovic and Ante Rebic – didn’t add anything to a team that was in serious need of a spark. The positioning of Ivan Rakitic and Luka Modric could also be criticized, as well as the inclusion of Mateo Kovacic from the first minute.
Stipe Pletikosa
6 / Croatia’s goalkeeper had a good performance despite conceding three goals. Pletikosa had a stunning save against a shot from Oscar in the first half, was inches away from stopping both shots that ended in goals from Neymar and was solid commanding his defense. It was a very unfortunate outing for the goalkeeper.
Darijo Srna
5 / The Shakhtar Donetsk right-back has plenty of experience at the highest level but he wasn’t able to show today. Playing on the right side of the defense, he was unable to stop Neymar and couldn’t move into the attack consistently, something that usually bodes well from him. Needs to improve for the upcoming matches.
Vedran Corluka
6 / The center back had an average game but he had a lot of issues when faster players like Bernard or Oscar moved through his zone. He did a good job to contain Fred though and he often was the one pushing the lines forward as he moved up to the midfield controlling the ball on several occasions.
Dejan Lovren
5 / Lovren was doing a very good job but the penalty he committed against Fred midway the second half was a game changer against Croatia. Lovren looked often lost when the Brazilian players charged his way and he could’ve done a better job defending his position.
Sime Vrsaljko
6 / The youngster had a very good game of the left side of the defense. He was very solid closing his flank, put a lot of pressure against Hulk and was competent enough moving forward.
Luka Modric
7 / The Real Madrid midfielder put the team on his back and was the first option to start his team’s attacks early and often. However, he located way too deep in midfield and was closer to his defenders than he was from the offensive forces. Still, he showcased all his talent and vision and it was noticeable that all of Croatia’s attacking game will live and die with Luka Modric.
Ivan Rakitic
6 / The Sevilla playmaker lived a similar situation to Modric’s one as he’s used to play a few more meters forward into the pitch. Rakitic started the sequence of the first goal for Croatia but failed to appear when his team needed him the most, looking lost towards the end of the game since he clearly wasn’t comfortable playing so deep in midfield.
Ivan Perisic
5 / Ivan Perisic did what was expected out of him. He generated some chances on the right flank, closed his zone defensively and posed a threat to Marcelo in the first half. He diluted in the second half though, disappearing completely when his side needed him the most.
Mateo Kovacic
5 / Kovacic is one of the most promising players in the Croatian roster and he’s surely loaded with talent, but it was noticeable that he lacks experience to produce at the highest level. He was outpaced by the Brazilian defenders and couldn’t generate a lot of offense through his feet in what was a below-average outing for the Inter Milan star.
Ivica Olic
7 / Olic was Croatia’s best player on the attack today against Brazil. He started the play that ended with Marcelo’s own goal, gave Dani Alves something to worry about on the left side on the attack and managed to put several crosses into the box. A good outing by the former Bayern Munich player.
Nikola Jelavic
4 / The Everton striker was completely overmatched against more experienced defenders and was unable to be a factor on the attack. He didn’t have a single chance, he got quickly lost between David Luiz and Thiago Silva and was unable to take advantage of several passes that went his way. It’s clear that Croatia will be in much better shape once Mario Mandzukic returns as Jelavic doesn’t have enough quality to be a starter.
Marcelo Brozovic
4 / Brozovic entered in the second half looking to provide a spark in the attacking midfield replacing Mateo Kovacic, but he was unable to do so. A poor performance by the midfielder who never got it going and looked wildly inaccurate with his passing.
Ante Rebic
n.a. / Rebic replaced Jelavic well into the second half and barely touched the ball.