Estevao Shines, Lino Bags Brace as Brazil Beat India 4-0 in Historic Kolkata Friendly

India suffered a 4-0 defeat against Brazil in the historic international friendly at Salt Lake Stadium. The 19-year-old forward Estevao scored and assisted, while Samuel Lino added a brace as Kolkata got to witness Brazilian superstars like Vinicius Jr, Marquinhos, Bruno Guimaraes, Endrick and more.

Brazil made a bright start as, within the first minute, the ball went straight to Vinicius Jr. He dazzled down the left wing and provided a low cross into the box, but Anirudh Thapa was there in time to clear the ball for Brazil’s first corner.

India also had an impressive start. The confidence gained from their 1-1 draw against Panama was evident in their passing and confident defending.

Ashique Kuruniyan was the brightest spot for India. With his pace, twists and turns, he continuously tried to challenge the Brazilian defence. As a result, the Blue Tigers earned two corners within the first seven minutes.

In the eighth minute, Brazil had their first real chance, and who else but Vinicius? He went past Abhishek Singh Tekcham and took a shot, which Gurpreet Singh Sandhu denied with a strong save, resulting in another corner for the visitors.

Most of Brazil’s attacks seemed to be building from the left flank, with Vinicius trying quick runs to enter India’s box. However, he was caught offside on several occasions.

In the 15th minute, Bijoy Varghese played a lovely long ball over the top and Manvir timed his run well to make a run at goal. But Brazil’s skipper Marquinhos tracked back and ensured a throw-in for India.

For the next 10 minutes, Manvir tried a long-range effort, which did not trouble Brazil goalkeeper Pedro Luccas but left the Indian fans excited. India also produced some timely defending to stop the likes of Estevao and Pedro Guilherme, while the home fans continuously backed their players with “India, India” chants.

Just like the Panama game, India managed a good start, keeping their structure compact and solid.

However, in the 28th minute, Brazil broke the deadlock through a moment of individual brilliance from 19-year-old Estevao. He received the ball in a wide position on the right, cut inside and shot with his left foot from the edge of the box. Gurpreet got a touch but could not prevent the youngster from finding the net.

The goal gave Brazil momentum. In the 36th minute, Pedro produced a header that hit the post, and India survived. But that did not last long. In the 42nd minute, Estevao delivered a brilliant through ball into the box for Pedro, and the striker made sure Brazil extended their lead. Gurpreet got a touch once again, but the ball crossed the goal line as Brazil ended the first half with a 2-0 lead.

Before the start of the second half, a thoughtful gesture from the Brazil team management caught attention as their mascot threw Brazil jerseys into the crowd, much to the delight of the fans.

There were plenty of changes for both teams in the second half, with India making three and Brazil making five substitutions.

The most notable change for India was the introduction of Prabhsukhan Gill in place of Gurpreet. It was a memorable occasion for Gill as he made his international debut.

In the 55th minute, Manvir had a shot at the Brazil goal from a tight angle, but Pedro palmed it away for a corner. From that corner, Brazil launched a counterattack, with Samuel Lino getting a shot away that Indian centre-back Bijoy blocked, earning applause from the home crowd.

However, just two minutes later, Bijoy gave the ball away and Lino made no mistake this time. He curled the ball past a diving Gill to make it 3-0 for Brazil.

In the 64th minute, Ryan Williams made a pacy run into the box and managed a curling shot, but substitute Mauro Junior produced a goalline clearance to keep Brazil’s clean sheet intact.

Three minutes later, Manvir and Ryan combined, with Manvir picking out the striker inside the box. However, Ryan narrowly missed the right post and was visibly frustrated, with the crowd also expecting better finishing from the prolific striker.

Substitutions continued for both teams throughout the half. Brazil, meanwhile, continued to string passes through the middle, with Endrick and others coming close to adding another goal on several occasions.

Finally, just on the stroke of full-time, Lino scored his second goal as the final whistle came with Brazil securing a 4-0 victory.

The curtains came down with applause from an approximately 51,000-strong crowd, as players from both teams acknowledged the support. India’s focus now shifts to their next big challenge on October 6, at the same venue, against Diego Forlan’s Uruguay.

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