Vinicius Jr starts as Brazil cruise past India in Kolkata

Vinícius Júnior

The historic meeting between India and Brazil in Kolkata ended in a comprehensive victory for the South American giants, who ran out comfortable winners at the Salt Lake Stadium. Despite a spirited opening from the hosts, the sheer quality of the visitors eventually told as they cruised to a four-goal triumph.

Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior was named in the starting lineup for the Selecao, immediately bringing immense star power to the occasion. The home crowd was incredibly loud from the first whistle, and the Blue Tigers initially held their shape well against their illustrious opponents.

Estevao breaks the early resistance

The visitors looked dangerous from the outset, with Vinicius Junior causing an early scare for the Indian defence after just two minutes. However, the hosts survived the initial pressure and even earned two corners of their own, with Ashique finding space to threaten.

Marquinhos wasted a great opportunity with a free header, while Vinicius Junior continued to turn the screw. Goalkeeper Gurpreet stood tall to deny the winger, who cut a frustrated figure as the hosts fought hard to keep the scores level.

India managed to threaten at the other end through some positive play from Williams and Manvir. The Salt Lake Stadium erupted when Williams drove forward, but the momentum quickly shifted as Brazil found the breakthrough.

It was Estevao who opened the scoring after twenty-eight minutes, firing the visitors into the lead. Despite falling behind, India continued to fight, but the class of the five-time world champions began to shine through.

Goalkeeping changes and defensive errors

Pedro came close to doubling the advantage when his header struck the post, but he did not have to wait long to get on the scoresheet. Just before the interval, the forward capitalised on an error to make it two, leaving Gurpreet frustrated with a costly mistake.

That error prompted India manager Jamil to make a significant change at the break. Prabhsukhan Gill was introduced to make his international debut, replacing Gurpreet in goal for the second period.

The substitute goalkeeper was immediately tested as Bruno nearly added a third, but India survived the early second-half scare. Manvir then created the hosts’ best opening of the match, showing great strength to get past Marquinhos before the Brazilian defence recovered.

Williams also looked lively, driving into the penalty area and later sending a volley wide after a clever piece of skill. However, India were punished for a mistake at the back when Lino made it three after fifty-seven minutes.

Late pressure and a final blow

Despite the mounting scoreline, India refused to capitulate and continued to search for a consolation goal. Williams beat his defender and came agonizingly close to pulling one back, but his effort went just wide of the target.

Brazil introduced Endrick in the second half, and the young forward immediately threatened the Indian backline. He looked to have got in behind the defence late on, only to be denied by the assistant referee’s offside flag.

Jamil made five substitutions in the closing stages to refresh his side after a quiet spell of possession. Deep into stoppage time, Lino grabbed his second of the match to put the finishing touches on a dominant performance.

While the scoreline reflected Brazil’s superiority, the historic fixture provided invaluable experience for the Indian squad against world-class opposition.