SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Neymar showed why he is carrying Brazils hopes at the World Cup, scoring twice on Thursday to help the underwhelming hosts escape a disappointing start to the tournament. With Brazil struggling and down a goal against a spirited Croatian team, Neymar came through to lead his team to a 3-1 win in the opening match, scoring once in each half. The killer goal to make the score 2-1 was a hotly contested penalty awarded by Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura. "Things werent going well," he said. "The first match is always difficult, we were anxious, we were nervous. Im glad I was able to get the goals we needed at the time we needed them." "He is a special player and we know that," Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said. "And he needs to know that we know that." Brazil got off to a slow start in its home tournament. Defender Marcelo found his own net while trying to clear a low cross by Ivica Olic in the 11th minute, stunning the crowd of more than 62,100 packing the Itaquerao Stadium. But Neymar equalized in the 29th, firing a perfectly placed low shot that went in off the post. He said he didnt hit the ball perfectly, "but it went in, its all that matters." "Its important to start these tournaments on the right foot, with a victory," said Neymar. "Im happy that I got to score, but the entire team deserves credit. We maintained our calm and showed we could battle back." The game turned on a controversial penalty awarded by Nishimura in the second half after striker Fred went down inside the area under minimal contact from defender Dejan Lovren. Neymar scored from the spot in the 71st minute, getting his 33rd goal with Brazil. Croatia goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa nearly saved Neymars shot, but it was struck hard enough to deflect into the net. The Croatians were furious. "If that was a penalty, we should be playing basketball. Those kinds of fouls are penalized there," Croatia coach Niko Kovac said. "That is shameful, this is not a World Cup referee. He had one kind of criteria for them and another for us. The rules were not the same," Kovac said. As Croatia searched desperately for an equalizer, Oscar added to the lead in the first minute of injury time with a toe poke from just outside the penalty area. A draw would have been a huge disappointment for Brazil, which had won its opening match the last eight times and is overwhelming favourite to win the competition. "The team didnt give up," Brazil defender David Luiz said "We knew it would be hard but we played well and got that first goal and then the victory." The tournament finally got underway as planned after months of talk about the preparation problems that plagued Brazil since it was picked as host seven years ago. The troubled Itaquerao, which wasnt fully finished for the opener, held up without major setbacks to fans or the match itself, although part of the lights atop the pitch went out a few times for brief periods in the first half. ------ Lineups: Brazil: Julio Cesar, Dani Alves, Thiago Silva, David Luiz, Marcelo, Luiz Gustavo, Paulinho (Hernanes, 63), Oscar, Neymar (Ramires, 88), Hulk (Bernard, 68), Fred. Croatia: Stipe Pletikosa, Sime Vrsaljko, Darijo Srna, Dejan Lovren, Vedran Corluka, Ivan Rakitic, Nikica Jelavic (Ante Rebic, 78), Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic, Ivica Olic, Mateo Kovacic (Marcelo Brozovic, 61). China Shoes Cheap . THE THUNDER & PACERS BENCHES: In a nutshell, not impressive at all. China Shoes Free Shipping . 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John Wall had 20 points and 11 assists, and Beal scored 10 of his 15 points during the second quarter as Washington pulled away for a 106-82 victory on Saturday.WEST ALLIS, Wis. -- Two of the IndyCar series smaller teams are planning to merge in 2015. Ed Carpenter Racing and Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing said Saturday they will unite to form CFH Racing. The teams that typically each just have one entry per race will form a multi-car organization. A joint statement said that details about personnel, suppliers and sponsors would be announced soon. The Indianapolis-based teams will be headquartered at Fisher Hartman offices a few blocks from Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Carpenters team has victories this season with driver Mike Conway at Long Beach and Toronto, and owner-driver Carpenter at Texas Motor Speedway. Fisher Hartman driver Josef Newgarden is 16th in the driver standings going into Sundays race at the Milwaukee Mile. Conway is 22nd, while Carpenter is 23rd among drivers. Carpeenter has started at the pole in the last two Indianapolis 500s.dddddddddddd Carpenter also raced for then-Sarah Fisher Racing in 2011, finishing first at Kentucky, before starting his own team the following year. "There will be a lot of work to do this off-season to bring the two teams together to form one new team, but we feel that it is a great opportunity for all of us to grow and reach new heights of success," Carpenter said. Fisher became the first female IndyCar team owner in 2008. A former driver, Fisher is the first woman to win a pole and place second in an IndyCar race. She called the merger a "big-picture plan," with Carpenters 2011 win representing a foothold. Wink Hartman, who runs an oil company based in Wichita, Kansas, became a co-owner in Fishers team in December 2011. ' ' '