Brazil cruise to 4-0 win over India in first-ever senior meeting

Five-time World Cup winners Brazil beat India 4-0 in a friendly at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday, the first-ever senior men’s meeting between the two nations (Reuters).

Chelsea winger Estêvão broke the deadlock in the 28th minute, cutting in from the right to dispatch a left-footed finish at the near post, before setting up Pedro for Brazil’s second. Substitute Samuel Lino then scored his first two goals for Brazil — one near the hour mark and another just before full time — as the 51,000-strong crowd cheered the visitors as vocally as the hosts (AFP via Gulf News).

Coach Carlo Ancelotti made eight changes from Tuesday’s 4-2 win over Australia, retaining only Vinicius Jr, Danilo and Gabriel Bontempo, as Brazil concluded their tour of Australia and India with two wins and a draw (Reuters).

India, ranked 138th in the world, extended their winless streak to six matches, with Manvir Singh and Ryan Williams missing their best chances of a consolation. The occasion was overshadowed by sparse attendance — the 65,000-capacity stadium was only partly full despite Brazil fielding stars such as Vinicius Jr and Marquinhos, with critics blaming ticket pricing after the cheapest 999-rupee tickets sold out in minutes (NDTV/PTI).