World Cup

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Attendance: 62,103

World Cup | Group Stage

Jun 12, 2014 at 9pm UK

Brazil
3-1
Croatia

Neymar (29', 71' pen.), Oscar (90+1')

FT(HT: 1-1)

Marcelo (11' og.)

Marcelo grateful to Brazil supporters

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter

Published: June 13 2014 | 12:27

Last updated: June 14 2014 | 07:52

Brazil defender Marcelo hails his teammates and home supporters for staying behind him following his early own goal against Croatia.

Marcelo has hailed his Brazil teammates and home supporters for staying behind him following an early setback in the tournament's opening game.

The full-back put the ball into his own net early on to give Croatia the lead, but the hosts bounced back to eventually secure a 3-1 victory.

"The first thing I thought was just to stay calm and not make it worse for the team," Marcelo told FIFA.com when asked about his reaction to the 11th-minute own goal.

"If I'd let my head drop, I might have ended up making life even more difficult for us. That was the first thing I had to make sure I didn't do.

"The fans were right behind me after I scored the own goal and they were chanting my name. My teammates also came up to me and that helped me clear my head straight away. I got back into the game immediately."

The victory ensures that Brazil top Group A after their opening game, with Mexico and Cameroon still to meet later today.