Chanting "Hey FIFA, return to Switzerland," the demonstrators, including members of the radical Black Bloc movement, tried to penetrate a police barricade. Police used pepper spray to keep them back.
Tensions rose when a man driving by fired a gun in the air and shouted at protestors to leave, an AFP journalist said.
Some protestors headed to another neighborhood where they damaged two banks, according to the G1 news website.
Another protest took place in the southern city of Porto Alegre as police kept demonstrators far from the stadium where France played Honduras. No incidents were reported.
Brazil was rocked by massive protests during last year's Confederations Cup as people angry at the World Cup cost took to the streets. Demonstrations have been smaller in recent months.
