SÃO PAULO, Brazil - It was Dia dos Namorados here on Thursday, the Brazilian equivalent of Valentine's Day. That meant there were chocolate and flowers and couples holding hands tucked in among the sea of yellow jerseys that seemed to stretch across this city from the Itaquera neighborhood on down to Jardines. From sunrise until a full moon peeked above the skyline, Brazilians showed their passion for each other, and for soccer, on the opening day of the World Cup.
But love - in any form - is a complicated matter. So while there were moments of heat and adoration, particularly when Neymar scored the first of his two goals with an inch-perfect shot that bounced in off the post, Brazil's 3-1 victory over Croatia was hardly the perfect date.
Both inside and outside the Arena Corinthians, emotions were mixed. The day began with unsettling turmoil, as the police used tear gas and rubber bullets on protesters near a downtown subway station, casting a pall that figures to return as demonstrations continue over the course of the tournament.
At the stadium, where workers were hurrying to finish construction as recently as Wednesday, there were hiccups, too, such as the few areas where chairs were not installed (fans appeared to be sitting on concrete) and the moment in the first half when a bank of floodlights temporarily went out. Even the pregame release of three doves, designed to be a show of hope for world peace, did not come off perfectly as one of the birds appeared to immediately crash into the stands.
All of that, though, may inspire less immediate angst than the home team's inconsistent performance. Soccer is sacred here, and it is not pressure that the fans put on the Brazilian players so much as it is an ultimatum: win or be ridiculed.
Luiz Felipe Scolari, the Brazilian coach, has not shied away from the expectations of a title, but he has also said that he will not be bothered by the typical Brazilian secondary requirement of winning with style. Grinding performances are anathema for Brazilian fans but Scolari, knowing the stakes, has said he is interested only in results.
From that perspective, he was pleased with Thursday's outcome, though even he would have to admit there was precious little beauty on display. Brazil actually fell behind early on when Marcelo turned the ball into his own net in the 11th minute after Ivica Olic sprinted down the left side and crossed a dangerous ball in front of the goal.
Marcelo, who was retreating, basically ran the ball into his own net, and most in the crowd of 62,103 stood in stunned silence after witnessing Brazil's first own goal in World Cup history. The fans then booed in unison, chanting derisively in a fashion only slightly less angry than the vitriol they showed for Dilma Rousseff, Brazil's under-fire president.
Nightmare visions of an embarrassing loss followed the calamity, but Neymar rescued the game with a brilliant goal 18 minutes later. The spindly attacker dribbled to the top of the penalty area and rolled a shot in off the post that sent the Brazilian bench into hysterics as fireworks exploded outside the stadium.
Despite the reaction, Croatia was unmoved. The Blazers, who were without their top scorer since Mario Mandzukic was suspended after getting a red card late in qualifying, steadied their midfield early in the second half and looked to be comfortable playing for a tie. They were livid, then, when Fred fell to the ground after very light - very, very light - contact, drawing a penalty from the Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura.
Neymar converted the penalty kick in the 71st minute and Oscar added a third in second-half stoppage time, making the final score look far more flattering for the Brazilians than their inconsistent attack deserved.
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