India 0-4 Brazil: Tekcham Abhishek and Anirudh Thapa impress in Kolkata friendly
India lost 0-4 to Brazil in an international friendly at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium) in Kolkata on 3 October 2026, with Samuel Lino completing a late brace. Tekcham Abhishek and Anirudh Thapa were among the India players singled out for positive displays despite the heavy scoreline.
Khalid Jamil made two changes to the side that faced Panama, bringing Sahal Abdul Samad into attack in place of Vikram Partap Singh and restoring Anirudh Thapa to the starting XI for Ricky Shabong. Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti selected a heavily rotated team, with only Vinicius Junior and Marquinhos among the more experienced starters while Gabriel Magalhães, Bruno Guimarães, Endrick and Rayan were left out. Ancelotti praised India after the match, saying: “India played a good game and were organised in attack and defence.”
India matched Brazil for the opening 30 minutes but conceded twice before half-time following individual errors, with Estêvão and Pedro on target. Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was blamed for weak saves that contributed to the first two goals and was substituted at the interval; Akash Mishra and Ashique Kuruniyan were also withdrawn at half-time, with Jay Gupta and Sanan introduced in their places.
An early second-half mistake led to a third Brazilian goal when Bijoy Varghese’s risky pass went straight to Samuel Lino, who finished. Substitute goalkeeper Vishal Gill could not prevent the third and produced a poor attempt to stop the fourth, which completed Lino’s brace. India managed 10 shots on target over the 90 minutes but were unable to convert any into a goal.
Individual ratings reflected mixed performances: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was given 3/10 after his errors, while Tekcham Abhishek Singh was rated 8/10 after recovering from a shaky start to contain Vinicius Junior and maintain a disciplined defensive line. Midfielder Apuia was credited with cutting passing lanes and making important interceptions, and Anirudh Thapa, handed a starting role, was praised for interceptions, disrupting Brazil’s build-up and delivering strong corner deliveries, though he was noted as needing to improve positioning for the first and third goals.
Sahal Abdul Samad received a 5/10 rating; he grew into the game with one-touch passes and dribbling but failed to make a decisive final-third impact. Ryan Williams was described as India’s most dangerous attacking outlet and had the side’s best chances in the second half, while Manvir Singh worked hard as the lone centre-forward and came close in the 54th minute when his effort went just over the near post. Apuia had an early long-range attempt in the sixth minute that came close.
Several substitutes made varied contributions: Sanan offered attacking intent and defensive work after replacing Ashique Kuruniyan, Jay Gupta added physicality on the left after replacing Akash Mishra, and Pramveer Singh came on around the 70th minute to help defensively. Mehtab produced a late block to stop Endrick’s left-footed curling effort, while Farukh, Rahim and Macarton had limited time to influence the game, with Macarton committing a defensive error that contributed to the fourth goal.
Samuel Lino’s late strike completed his brace and sealed Brazil’s 4-0 victory in the friendly at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, with Estêvão and Pedro having opened the scoring in the first half.
