The much awaited sporting event, FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil is finally underway. The opening ceremony which took place on June 12th was one of the most glittering events that featured singers Jennifer Lopez and Pit Bull. The event which was organized in Sao Paulo, the largest city in Brazil saw a large number of people come to watch the 1st game of the world cup played between hosts Brazil and Croatia.
The World Cup 2014 opening ceremony
For the Fifa World Cup 2014 opening ceremony, Jennifer took the stage with Brazilian pop sensation Claudia Leitte along with Pit Bull as they together performed the tournament anthem We are one (Ole Ola). The song was composed and recorded by Pit Bull and all the three feature in the official music video as well. Lopez was recently in the news, as she broke up with her 27 year old boyfriend who she was dating since 2011. There was some doubt about the attendance of Jennifer Lopez for the opening ceremony thanks to some misunderstanding between the organizers and the singer’s representative.
The event was attended by the President of Brazil Dilma Rouseff who was unfortunately booed by the thousands of fans as the country faces a lot of protests from a sizable section of people who are opposing the large amount of money spent on the preparation for this event which was also marred by delays and accidents taking place during the construction of the new stadiums.
The game
The match for which the people had come to see, finally kicked off after the ceremony was over. Brazil were expected to win this match and there was no upset in the end as they won the game by a margin of 3-1. The Croatians though didn’t give up easily as they went into the lead thanks to an own goal by Real Madrid star Marcelo in the first half. The Brazilians though equalized quickly as their own rising star Neymar Santos Jr. scored from long range.
There was some controversy involved during the third goal of the game as the Japanese referee awarded a penalty to Brazil as Fred crashed to the ground easily when he was challenged by a Croatian defender. Neymar scored from the spot to give Brazil the lead. Oscar then scored in the dying moments to give Brazil the perfect start.
The official networks for this event in the US are ESPN and Univision.