In a historic encounter, the Indian national team faced Brazil for the first time in football history. Despite the home-field advantage at the iconic Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, the hosts were unable to pull off an upset against the five-time world champions, who comfortably dominated the match with a 4-0 victory under the guidance of coach Carlo Ancelotti.
India managed to hold their ground early on, putting up a resilient defensive performance that kept the score level for the first 27 minutes. The deadlock was finally broken in the 28th minute when Chelsea forward Estevão unleashed a powerful shot. Although Indian goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu managed to get a hand to the ball, the sheer velocity of the strike sent it into the net, giving the Seleção the opening goal.
The visitors extended their lead just before halftime. In the 42nd minute, Pedro capitalized on a well-placed pass from Estevão, maneuvering through the Indian defense. He executed a precise finish from a narrow angle, leaving Gurpreet stranded to send Brazil into the break with a commanding 2-0 advantage. Shortly after the restart, Ancelotti utilized his bench depth, making five simultaneous substitutions, including the introduction of Samuel Lino, Bruno Guimarães, Gabriel Magalhães, Vanderson, and Douglas Luiz.
The tactical changes paid immediate dividends. In the 58th minute, substitute forward Samuel Lino exploited a defensive error by India to slot home a perfect finish from the left side of the box, extending the lead to 3-0. Lino remained a constant threat and finalized the scoreline in the 94th minute of injury time, scoring his second goal of the match with a sharp, low drive into the near post. This decisive win successfully capped off Brazil’s FIFA window, following an unbeaten run that included a previous friendly against Australia, further cementing their dominance on the international stage.
