Croatians slam penalty call

Furious Croatia defender Dejan Lovren branded the penalty awarded against him during Brazil's 3-1 win in the World Cup opener a "scandal" and questioned the referee's right to be officiating at the soccer showcase.

Croatia took the lead when Marcelo put the ball into his own net early in the match before Neymar evened the score in front of a jubilant crowd.

But the European side was holding its own in the second half until Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura pointed to the spot after Fred backed into Lovren and fell down.