A flash of green, blue and gold and the World Cup is under way

Thousands upon thousands of tourists and locals alike poured onto Copacabana beach to watch Brazil beat Croatia 3-1 in a controversial game in Sao Paulo.

Clad in colours of every nation, including those not even participating - Israel, Guatemala, Venezuela and Jamaica to name a few - fans made their way to two giant screens set on the picturesque beach as the month long party starts in Brazil.

The sombre mood in Rio threatening to overshadow the tournament didn't take long to dissipate, just as president Dilma Rouseff predicted it would.

Once the football started it proved irresistible for those Brazilians unsure whether to celebrate a home World Cup or protest silently against the huge sums of money some felt would be better spent on education and living standards.

Horns, drums and chanting filled the air with a cacophony of noise while flags, fireworks and streamers were thrown aloft by the sea of yellow that descended upon the beach.

Those who are firmly against the tournament did make their presence felt however, a procession of hundreds of protesters made their way along the beach bearing slogans condemning FIFA and the Government.

Some of the travelling fans fail to see the point of the protests however. German fan Klaus thinks that embracing the Cup is the right attitude to take: "I understand that a lot of money has been spent but how many times will you see a World Cup in your own country in your lifetime? People should enjoy themselves".

And as Brazil's golden boy Neymar helped get the Selecao's campaign under way with a win the atmosphere quickly turned from silence to samba.