BS News Agency: It is not known when the Indian football team will play in the World Cup. Because India has not yet been able to make it to the top 8 teams in Asia. It has not been able to qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia. Naturally, the game against Brazil was like a fight between David and Goliath for the Indian team. However, in the story, little David defeated the giant Goliath with courage and intelligence. But in reality, the Indian football team could not defeat the giant of world football Brazil on the field of Yuva Bharati.
Pictures by Bibhash Lodh, BS News Agency.
It was known that it would not be possible for the Indian team, which is ranked 138th in the FIFA rankings, to compete with Brazil, which has won the World Cup five times, to compete for a long time. That is what happened. Despite drawing 1-1 with the team ranked 44th in FIFA rankings, the Indian team lost 0-4 to Brazil. In September 2004, they lost 0-4 to Japan, who were coached by Zico, in the World Cup qualifiers at Yuva Bharati Stadium. India was coached by Stephen Constantine. Despite losing to Brazil on Saturday, the Indian team's fight was commendable. Brazil was not very impressive in the warm-up match.
Pictures by Bibhash Lodh, BS News Agency.
In fact, even though the opponent was Brazil, Indian team coach Khalid Jamil, not suffering from inferiority complex, instructed his footballers to play with a balance in attack and defense. He made two changes to the starting eleven. He replaced Ricky, who played in the Panama match, with Anirudh Thapa, and Vikram Pratap with Sahal. Brazil coach Ancelotti replaced 4 footballers from the team that played against Australia with new ones. However, he kept star footballer Vinicius in the starting eleven. The Brazilian team started with goalkeeper Pedro Lucas, Arthur, Marquinhos, Matuizinho, Douglas, Gabriel, Andre Santos, Danilo, Estevao, Pedro Guillermo, Vinicius.
Although Khalid Jamil played the Indian team in his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, Brazil coach Ancelotti played the team in a 4-3-3 formation and tried to score goals by attacking from the beginning. In the first minute, Anirudh Thapa cleared Vinicius' cross into the box and stopped Brazil's goal attempt. However, India managed to counter-attack and won 2 consecutive corners in the first 5 minutes. However, due to lack of experience and lack of variety in corners, the Indian footballers could not take any advantage of those corners. Vinicius was increasing his speed on the wing from the beginning and entering the box, causing discomfort to the Indian defenders. In the 9th minute, Vinicius' right-footed shot was perfectly blocked by the Indian team's goalkeeper Gurpreet.
Pictures by Bibhash Lodh, BS News Agency.
However, without panicking, India's Ryan, Manvir, and Sahal tested the Brazilian defense by launching a counterattack. But they could not break through the Brazilian defense and scored a goal. This alertness of the Indian team worried Brazil coach Ancelotti to some extent. Otherwise, why would a coach like him, with a cool temperament, leave the reserve bench after 20 minutes and stand on the sideline to give instructions to the footballers? However, Ancelotti did not have to worry for long. Because Brazil got the first goal in the 28th minute. Chelsea star footballer Estevao got the ball in the Indian midfield and entered the box with the magic of his feet, beating Akash and Ashiq. Finding a small gap between the Indian defenders, Estevao took a powerful low shot with his left foot, which touched the hand of goalkeeper Gurpreet standing at the first post and went into the net. Estevao's shot had such a sting that Gurpreet could not stop it.
India was saved from conceding a second goal in the 36th minute when Pedro Guillermo's head hit the post after a cross from Mathieuzinho. However, it was not saved in the 42nd minute. After receiving Estevao's extended pass in the box, Guillermo took the ball over Anwar and took a shot that rolled into the goalkeeper Gurpreet's hand and went into the goal. In the 44th minute, when Vinicius' shot went out of the goalkeeper's hands, Apuya took it out before sending it back into the goal, saving India from falling behind by 0-3 goals in the first half. In the second half, Indian coach Khalid Jamil and Brazil coach Carles Ancelotti made several changes to the team. After the break, Brazil's star Vinicius left, and India played quite a bit in the first 10 minutes. Vinicius was replaced by Samuel Lino. An attempt by Manvir also put pressure on Brazil goalkeeper Pedro Lucas. However, India did not score a goal. However, the Brazilian footballers did not delay in quickly overcoming the Indian team. In the 58th minute, due to a mistake by Vijay Varghese, Samuel Lino, instead of Vinicius, entered the box and took a high shot, which Gurpreet's replacement goalkeeper Prabhusukhan avoided the reach and sent it into the goal.
A great opportunity to score came to India. In the 64th minute, Ryan caught the ball, shook the Brazilian defender with his body, and took a shot over the head of the Aguan goalkeeper and aimed for the goal, but Douglas Santos turned it back from the goal line. A loose ball in the middle of the box was saved by Brazil goalkeeper Pedro Lucas before the Indian players could take a shot. Lucas managed to keep a clean sheet in his debut match in the Brazilian jersey.
In the first minute of the second half's added time, goalkeeper Gurpreet blocked a shot by Wanderson de Oliveira to prevent Brazil from increasing their lead. However, in the 94th minute, Samuel Lino beat goalkeeper Prabhusukhan with a shot that went past Edmund and hit the ground.
India: Gurpreet (Prabhsukhan), Abhishek (Bhalpuiya), Anwar (Mehtab), Vijay (Pramveer), Akash (Joy), Manveer (Vikram Pratap), Apuiya (Farooq), Anirudh (McCarton), Ashiq (Sanan), Sahal (Edmund), Ryan (Rahim).