Music, sand, protests and Neymar: the World Cup on Rio's Copacabana

Veronica Sardon, dpa

Brazil's World Cup started with a party Thursday on Rio de Janeiro's world-famous Copacabana beach: tens of thousands watched the opening game on giant screens in the sand, where they got to celebrate the hosts' 3-1 win over Croatia.

The beach was flooded by yellow shirts of the "verdeamarela," but it also had room for scores of foreigners: Colombians, Bosnians, Brits, Argentinians and even Croatians, among people of many other nationalities, were happy to share the fun and felt welcome.

As many as 20,000 people were allowed into the official Fan Fest, but there was another screen a few hundred metres further, also on the beach, and thousands more people on the adjacent Avenida Atlantica.

Street vendors tried to capitalize on the crowded event, as Rio awaits the first World Cup match on its own Maracana stadium. Several dogs were taken for walks in Brazil outfits, and even sand sculptures were dyed in Brazil's yellow, green and blue colours. 

Things did not start well, as Marcelo scored an own goal that threatened to spoil the World Cup opener for Brazil. A murmur rose from the disappointed crowd, and the party appeared to die down for a few minutes.

Brazil's superstar striker Neymar, however, was quick to make amends. His beautiful equalizer unleashed a cry of relief, and even some fireworks, and the Rio crowd cheered with every surge from their young football icon.

Barefoot on the sand, people sang their trademark "I'm a Brazilian," danced and rejoiced over their team's goals.

Brazil suffered to the last, but the result was good enough to celebrate well into the night, with live performances from several well-known local singers.

However, football parties are only one side of Brazil's World Cup experience. 

Several hours before the opening game, demonstrators had clashed with police on the nearby neighbourhood of Lapa. A few hundred protestors made it to Copacabana in time for the match, and they got to show off their banners under the watch of at least five helicopters and scores of police officers.

"A street sweeper is worth more than Neymar," one banner said.

"FIFA go home," said another.

Protesters even cheered over Croatia's goal, but their shouts of "There will be no World Cup" were countered by those of football fans on the avenue: "Yes, there will be a World Cup."

The protest turned sour during the match, with overturned rubbish bins on the tarmac and with police surrounding demonstrators.

The dichotomy of excited football fans and protestors complaining that Brazil has spent too much public money on the World Cup which should have gone into improving public services instead is bound to persist until Rio hosts the final on July 13.

A football-crazy country with many social inconsistencies, Brazil is looking forward to celebrating its World Cup. However, as has been the case for a year, goals and parties in stadiums, beaches and streets will inevitably come coupled with reminders that the country expects more than the trophy.

As was apparent Thursday on Copacabana, there are problems in Brazil that even Neymar cannot solve.