Brazil defeats India 4-0 in Kolkata friendly
Brazil's rotated squad secured a 4-0 victory over India in a Kolkata friendly, with goals from Estêvão, Pedro, and a Samuel Lino brace.
Brazil defeated India 4-0 in an international friendly at Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium. Goals from Estêvão, Pedro, and a brace by Samuel Lino sealed the win for the visitors, who were held at bay by the hosts for almost thirty minutes. Two first-half individual errors gave Brazil a 2-0 lead at the break, with a third mistake early in the second half making it 3-0 before Lino's late strike completed the scoring.
Brazil's team selection and tactics
Head coach Carlo Ancelotti fielded a heavily rotated Brazil side, with only Vinicius Junior and Marquinhos as experienced starters. He rotated his entire 26-man squad for the match, leaving out players like Gabriel Magalhães and Bruno Guimarães. Nine players earned their senior national team debuts during this FIFA window. Jair showed defensive solidity on his debut, while Breno Bidon offered a creative spark in midfield. Arthur Dias also performed well in his first appearance. Vinicius Junior started but was replaced at halftime, and Endrick came on for Pedro later, showing glimpses of his explosive potential. Ancelotti experimented tactically, switching between three and four-man attacking lines throughout the game.
India's performance and changes
India's head coach Khalid Jamil made two changes from the previous game, bringing in Sahal Abdul Samad for Vikram Partap Singh and reinstating Anirudh Thapa in place of Ricky Shabong. The defensive unit initially held firm but was undone by costly mistakes. Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu received a low rating of 3/10 for his performance. Individual player ratings for the Indian team were as follows:
| Player | Rating |
|---|---|
| Tekcham Abhishek Singh | 8/10 |
| Anirudh Thapa | 8/10 |
| Anwar Ali | 7/10 |
| Pramveer Singh | 7.5/10 |
| Ryan Williams | 8/10 |
| Manvir Singh | 7/10 |
| Jay Gupta | 6.5/10 |
| Bijoy Varghese | 6/10 |
| Vikram Partap Singh | 6/10 |
| Mohammed Sanan | 6/10 |
| Farukh Choudhary | 6/10 |
| Rahim Ali | 6/10 |
| Akash Mishra | 5/10 |
| Sahal Abdul Samad | 5/10 |
| Prabhsukhan Gill | 5/10 |
| Edmund Lalrindika | 5/10 |
| Louis Macarton | 5/10 |
| Ashique Kuruniyan | 4/10 |
| Gurpreet Singh Sandhu | 3/10 |
Individual ratings and notable contributions
Despite the scoreline, young defenders Tekcham Abhishek Singh and Anirudh Thapa earned high praise with 8/10 ratings for their performances. Midfielder Apuia made key interventions, including a last-ditch tackle to stop Danilo after a fumble by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. Another defensive error proved costly when Bijoy Varghese's risky pass was intercepted, leading directly to Samuel Lino's third goal for Brazil. India managed to create ten shots on target during the match.
Ancelotti's outlook and future plans
Carlo Ancelotti stated that the extra FIFA break and the India tour have given him a much clearer picture of his squad ahead of future selections. He indicated a desire to assess other young players who were not ready for this window. Brazil had previously drawn and won against Australia in the same international schedule. The team's next fixtures are against Japan and Singapore during the November international break.
