India U-17 beaten 3-1 by Brazil U-17 in BRICS U-17 Football Cup match in Goa

On October 13, 2016, India U-17 lost 3-1 to Brazil U-17 in a BRICS U-17 Football Cup match held in Goa. The result completed India’s fourth straight defeat in the tournament.

The BRICS U-17 Football Cup ran from October 5 to October 15, 2016, and was the first edition to feature the five BRICS nations: Brazil, India, Russia, China and South Africa. The tournament was hosted in Goa and organised in part to aid India’s preparation for the forthcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup that India was also hosting. Brazil went on to win the competition, defeating South Africa in the final.

India entered the Brazil fixture having already lost to Russia, South Africa and China and had not scored in those three matches. The game against Brazil was India’s final group-stage match in the BRICS tournament. Komal Thatal’s goal in the Brazil match would be India’s only strike of the competition.

Brazil opened the scoring in the second minute when Brenner Souza da Silva (better known as Brenner) drove a left-footed shot into the bottom right corner past Indian goalkeeper Mohammad Nawaz. Komal Thatal levelled in the 19th minute with a curled effort from the edge of the box. Those two early goals set the match’s decisive phases.

India were unable to convert subsequent chances and conceded again in the 30th minute before Brazil extended the lead in the 82nd minute, the final group-stage goal coming from Vinicius Junior, as Brazil won the match 3-1. Vinicius Junior finished the BRICS tournament as its top scorer.

Then-Brazil coach Carlos Amadeu described India’s defensive abilities as impressive. India concluded the BRICS Cup with four consecutive defeats and a single goal scored, and at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Nicolai Adam’s side scored one goal in their three-group matches and finished last with no points.

The senior Indian national team is scheduled to face Brazil at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 3, 2026; the match will be the first time the Blue Tigers meet the five-times FIFA World Cup champions, and the Indian men’s team is led by head coach Khalid Jamil.