Neymar made a blistering start to his
World Cup on Thursday night with a double against Croatia - but UK
broadcaster ITV have been forced to apologise after their online service
stopped as the 22-year-old scored his second goal from the penalty
spot.
Brazil's star - who has long been hailed as the 'next Pele' - cancelled out Marcelo's own goal in the first half before converting a contentious penalty when Fred went down easily in the box.
But some ITV viewers were left scrambling to find footage of the goal. Thankfully for them, Brazil legend Kaka was on hand with an Instagram video of the finish from the stadium in Sao Paulo.
Brazil's star - who has long been hailed as the 'next Pele' - cancelled out Marcelo's own goal in the first half before converting a contentious penalty when Fred went down easily in the box.
But some ITV viewers were left scrambling to find footage of the goal. Thankfully for them, Brazil legend Kaka was on hand with an Instagram video of the finish from the stadium in Sao Paulo.
Almost perfect: After scoring a brace for Brazil
in their World Cup opener, Neymar said the one thing missing from his
day was model girlfriend Gabriella Lenzi
Goal-den: Neymar slots home his penalty to put Brazil in front against Croatia
Hero: Neymar was the star of the show on the opening night
Tough to take: Fans who have waited four years
for the World Cup to start were furious to have missed some of the
opening fixture
The broadcaster said: 'We’re seeing unprecedented numbers of users during the game.
'We apologise for any inconvenience, we’re working hard to resume normal service.'
It
later added: “We’re so sorry for the disruption tonight. It wasn’t
planned and we know it came at a crucial time during the match.
Apologies again.'
Chelsea
midfielder Oscar completed the scoring in injury time as Brazil made a
winning start - if unconvincing - start to their Group A campaign.
After his brace, Neymar posted a selfie with his model girlfriend Gabriella Lenzi taken on his Superman-covered smartphone.