I watched the match. The Jap was thinking of his life and had to give the penalty. It will happen again and again. That fool Ned Zelic somehow has bludged his way onto the commentary team on SBS. The germ loves to hear his own voice and his comments drive me mad.
World Cup 2014: Furious Croatia coach Niko Kovac says referee 'out of his depth' after Brazil loss
Updated 1 hour 31 minutes ago
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Furious Croatia coach Niko Kovac said the Japanese referee in his side's 3-1 defeat to Brazil was "out of his depth" after a bitterly disputed penalty changed the course of the World Cup opener.
The unfancied European team took a shock leadwhen Marcelo scored an own goal in the 11th minute before Neymar levelled.
But Croatia, ranked 18th in the world, was holding its own in the second half until referee Yuichi Nishimura pointed to the spot after Fred backed into Croatian defender Dejean Lovren and fell.
"If anybody saw that was a penalty, let them raise their hand. I cannot raise my hand. I didn't see it," said Kovac.
Fri 13 Jun 2014
BRAZIL
3
v
1
CROATIA
6:00 am AEST
Arena de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo
"If you continue in this vein then there will be 100 penalties during this World Cup."
Kovac branded the spot kick award "ridiculous", saying he blamed himself for not saying during Wednesday's press conference that he would be "keeping a beady eye on the referee".
As it happened
The disappointed coach said he felt his team had deserved at least a point from the match, praising his players for their performance in front of passionate support for the home side.
He said he did not blame Fred for his tumble.
"I cannot blame Fred because everybody tries to do that. This is part of the sport whether you like it or not. This is part and parcel of football.
"What I want is for the referees to stick to the laws of the game, applying them equally to both teams. The referee was well placed, he was not unsighted, he saw everything and he took that decision."
Scolari heaps praise on Neymar
VIDEO: Highlights: Brazil 3-1 Croatia (ABC News)
Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari paid tribute to forward Neymar after the 22-year-old scored twice in Brazil's come-from-behind victory.
The Barcelona striker is under intense pressure as Brazilian fans expect their team to deliver the country's first World Cup title on home soil. He certainly delivered on Thursday and was named man of the match for his performance.
"The only thing we want is that Neymar is happy playing ball. He's a special player," Scolari said.
"He doesn't need all of you (the media) to demand that he become the best player in the world. His responsibility is to play for Brazil, and that's what he did today."
The only thing we want is that Neymar is happy playing ball. He's a special player.
Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari
Neymar said the victory was "more than I ever dreamed or imagined. The merit belongs to the team as a whole, which remained cool and calm to come from behind and win."
Scolari also heaped praise on the Brazil supporters in the 62,103 crowd in Sao Paulo, a city with notoriously fickle fans who booed the team in their final warm-up match for the World Cup.
"Our players were excellent, they showed determination to be able to come from behind. They were fantastic," Scolari said.
"But who really deserves praise are the fans. It was wonderful, the support we received here in Sao Paulo. If there's still any notion out there Sao Paulo doesn't root for the national team effusively enough, that was put to rest today."
AFP/Reuters
