BERLIN (AP) -- Brazil's quest for a sixth World Cup title is off to a raucous start. Kaka delighted the Brazilian fans who have sambaed their way to Germany, scoring in the 44th minute, and the defending champions won a record eighth straight World Cup game, beating Croatia 1-0 on Tuesday night.
But the Croats gave the Brazilians more of a game than most expected. They had several chances in the second half, including a shot by Dado Prso in the 51st minute that went off goalkeeper Dida's hands.
And if captain Niko Kovac hadn't left with what appeared to be a rib injury just before halftime, the outcome might have been very different.
Croatia now plays Japan on Sunday, a game it needs to win after Australia's surprising victory on Monday. Brazil plays the Socceroos on Sunday.
The Brazilians are soccer's royalty, and this game had all the feelings of a final. Flashbulbs were popping all night, and there was a Carnival atmosphere at Olympiastadion.
A fan in a Croatia shirt even got on the field with less than 10 minutes to go, running around until Prso led him off.
And just as they usually do on soccer's biggest stage, Brazil came through when it needed to.
Dribbling up the right side in the 44th minute, Cafu spotted Kaka in the middle and made a perfect pass. Kaka collected it and went past Niko Krancjar with one touch.
The 21-year-old son of coach Zlatko Kranjcar has been a concern defensively, and it was soon clear why. Kranjcar wasn't anywhere close as Kaka stutter-stepped, giving the Brazilian time to look up and check his aim. As Kranjcar closed in, Kaka unleashed a 20-meter left-footed strike that settled into the upper left corner. Kaka screamed in jubilation over his first World Cup goal, throwing his arms out wide, and Roberto Carlos jumped on his back for a short, celebratory ride.
The Brazilian fans, who had been surprisingly quiet compared to the rowdy Croats, erupted with whistles, tooting horns and chants of "Bra-zil! Bra-zil!"
But the Croatians weren't giving in that easily. They led Brazil 1-0 in a friendly in Split, Croatia, last summer before settling for a draw. And they showed no signs of being intimidated when they got behind.
Prso gave them their best chance, taking a hard shot from inside the box that went off Dida's hands. Three minutes later, Ivan Klasnic took a hard shot from about 15 yards, but it went straight into Dida's hands.
Marko Babic weaved himself into wide-open position in the 70th minute. But his shot found Dida's hands, too, and Kranjcar's follow-up header went wide.
There was a celebratory atmosphere at the stadium, with fans from both sides partying hours before the game.
A huge roar greeted Brazil when it trotted onto the field for warmups, followed by several choruses of "Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole."
But the Croatian fans are no slouches. Croatia is about a 12-hour drive from Berlin and there's a large Croatian population here, so it seemed the Croats had a slight edge in numbers in the stands.
They had the stadium rocking with cheers of "Cro-atia! Cro-atia!" and "To the battlefield, to the battlefield, for your people, for your people," 20 minutes before the game. When the national anthem was played, it sounded as if the entire country had been piped in.
Their countrymen didn't let them down on the field, even if they lost the game. Croatia showed every sign it could make a long stay at this World Cup.
taken from SI
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