World Cup Upsets Focus Fans on Football Over Brazil Protests

Visions of a World Cup punctuated by protests and violence in Brazil are fading as the highest-scoring tournament in a half century wins over fans in the opening four days of matches.

The first 13 games of the 2014 World Cup included five come-from-behind wins, upsets of defending champion Spain and No. 7-ranked Uruguay, and only one tie. The 41-goal spectacle took the edge off of public outrage over white elephant stadiums burdening public coffers and failed urban infrastructure projects, concerns that fueled Brazil’s biggest demonstrations in two decades last June.