Despite the political turmoil and persistent doubts about whether they want to be hosts or not, Brazil finally exploded into ecstasy on Thursday night after winning the opening match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

While the country briefly fell silent when Croatia went into an early lead, any worries of an upset were soon put to bed as Brazil rallied for a 3-1 victory.

One supporter said: ‘‘I think that we will have two carnivals this year in Brazil. Everyone is very happy both here in Sao Paulo and all over Brazil.’‘

Another fan said: ‘‘It’s almost a must to win the first game. But we know how football works. You can never be sure if we will win or not. But thank God we won.’‘

With the revelry continuing throughout the night, reporting from Sao Paulo for euronews, Rita Ferreira said: ‘‘In the eleventh minute, Croatia gave Brazil a scare but in the end the Canaries ran out 3-1 winners – two goals from Neymar and one from Oscar, for victory in the curtain raiser to Brazil 2014.’‘