Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], October 4 (ANI): India football team captain Gurpreet Singh Sandhu said he was 'very proud of the effort' put in by his teammates and described the experience of playing against Brazil in the international friendly here as 'great' for the Blue Tigers.
"Unfortunately, when you're playing against a good opposition like this, they punish you for your small mistakes, and I think we saw how much the boys gave of themselves, and I'm very proud of their effort, and everyone made a good account of themselves. I'm glad that we obviously didn't sit back; we tried to play as well and make some attacks as well. I think it's a great experience, and there's one more game ahead of us," Gurpreet said to the media after the match.
Brazil, ranked sixth in the world, dominated large periods of the contest and secured a comfortable victory at the Salt Lake Stadium, extending India's winless run to six matches.
The visitors created opportunities from the opening stages, with Estevao and Vinicius Junior testing the Indian defence and Gurpreet. The India goalkeeper made several saves to keep Brazil at bay before the visitors finally broke through around the half-hour mark.
Matheuzinho found Estevao, who struck the inside of the post from the edge of the box to give Brazil the lead. Pedro then headed against the woodwork before doubling Brazil's advantage before half-time, squeezing his effort underneath Gurpreet after being played through by Estevao.
Brazil continued to control the match after the break despite making five substitutions. India was briefly threatened through Ryan Williams and Manvir Singh, but Brazil restored their authority before the hour mark.
India were caught trying to play out from the back, allowing Pedro to release Samuel Lino, who curled a superb effort into the bottom corner to make it 3-0.
Williams came close to pulling one back for India, with one effort cleared off the line and another going wide, but Brazil remained in control.
Lino completed his brace deep into stoppage time, cutting inside before beating substitute goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Singh Gill to seal a 4-0 victory.
The result gave Brazil their fifth win in their last six international friendlies, while India remained without a victory in their last six games.
All India Football Federation president Kalyan Chaubey described the fixture as an important step in India's football journey and said the impact of such a game could be assessed over the longer term.
"I would say this is just the beginning. To excel in football—or in any field, really—you need about 15 to 20 years of time, involving various aspects of development. Regarding the national team, a major challenge has been the lack of opportunities to play against high-quality opponents in recent times; we have tried to address that. I believe that 15 or 20 years from now, when Indian football is in a strong position and people look back to evaluate its progress, they will certainly highlight this moment—how India played against Brazil for the first time and how the Indian national team players put up a real fight. I was really impressed by the confidence they displayed," Chaubey told ANI.
For India, the fixture provided an opportunity to test themselves against the highest-ranked opposition they have faced, with the Blue Tigers showing attacking intent despite the four-goal defeat.
West Bengal Minister Indranil Khan claimed that the Brazilian side felt as if a World Cup match was taking place because of the quality and arrangement of everything in the Salt Lake Stadium.
"The way the India vs Brazil match was organised—with the government, administration, and police coordinating seamlessly—was a collective effort. History was made today: for the first time, Brazil's full national team played against India's national team on Indian soil. Everyone enjoyed the match. They (Brazil) felt as though a World Cup match was taking place, given the quality of everything, from the seating to the players," Indranil Khan told ANI.
The Minister also blamed the former West Bengal government, under Trinamool Congress Supremo Mamata Banerjee, for tarnishing the state and country's reputation for the fiasco that happened during the visit of Argentina's ace footballer, Lionel Messi.
"During the Trinamool Congress government's tenure, the way the state's and the country's reputation was tarnished regarding the Messi visit—marked by gross misconduct, numerous irregularities, extreme disorganisation, political opportunism, corruption, and even financial crimes—football suffered. Look at how the youth of West Bengal enjoyed the India vs. Brazil match; even those who couldn't make it to the stadium were thrilled that this match was taking place on Kolkata's soil. Those who were previously preoccupied with crime, corruption, and 'cut money' have been ousted by the people. The people of West Bengal have chosen to support sports and make India proud on the global stage," he concluded.
India will face two-time FIFA World Cup winners Uruguay in another international friendly at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium) in Kolkata on Tuesday, October 6. (ANI)
"I'm very proud of players' effort, it's a great experience": Skipper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu after friendly match against Brazil
