COLOURFUL DISPLAY AT FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL-2014 OPENING CEREMONY

Preparations for the opening ceremony, which falls on Brazil's Valentine's Day, started in March. There were 84 hours of rehearsals, with some 20 hours of artistic work going into each minute of the ceremony

The colourful extravaganza, watched by 68,000 fans in the stadium, saw Brazil celebrate the start of its first World Cup in 64 years.

Although the event aimed to celebrate Brazilian culture, a nod to football only came two-thirds of the way through, with a group of acrobats wearing football headgear.

They were joined by 63 boys and a girl from local football clubs. But other parts of the show left viewers bemused, including a sequence intended to represent a celebration of Amazonian nature.

Young dancers dressed as raindrops and tulips darted across the stage, while a canoeist was carried through and others were dressed as trees, flowering buds and water lilies. 

The home fans – all in good spirits - cheered alongside small pockets of Croatians, who wore their team’s red and white jersey. At one point, three doves were brought onto the stage to symbolise peace – but one of them apparently escaped, flew into the stage and died. 

There were also criticisms on Twitter of a lack of performers spread across such a huge stage. 

Ben Davies posted: ‘Is this a dress rehearsal for the #openingceremony? Where is everyone?’

Another said: ‘I’ve seen more coherent performances in a GCSE Shakespeare showing.’ 

And Nick Daniels tweeted: ‘I have been to school plays more professional than this.’