Brazil thrash India 4-0 in historic Kolkata football friendly
Brazil shine on Selecao's first visit to India
Kolkata witnessed a historic football friendly between Brazil and India on Saturday, with the five-time World Cup winners emerging victorious with a 4-0 scoreline. India hosted the senior men's Brazil team for the first time, but a half-empty Salt Lake Stadium greeted the players. Criticism arose over ticket pricing, with the cheapest tickets priced at 999 rupees ($10). Despite the subdued turnout, Brazil's top stars, including Vinicius Junior and Marquinhos, featured in the lineup.
India, the lower-ranked team, struggled to contain Brazil's onslaught. Vinicius denied a brave save from Indian goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in the eighth minute. Estevao put Brazil ahead in the 28th minute with a swift left-foot shot that evaded the Indian defense. Pedro doubled the lead in the 42nd minute, and Brazil's dominance continued as Samuel Lino scored twice in the second half, making it 4-0.
Manvir Singh provided a notable save in the 55th minute. India, ranked 138th in the world, are striving to elevate the sport's popularity in a cricket-centric nation of 1.4 billion people.
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