Samuel Lino double helps Brazil beat India 4-0 in historic first meeting

Brazil ended their international break with a 4-0 victory over India in Kolkata on Saturday, with Samuel Lino scoring twice after replacing Vinicius Junior at half-time.

The friendly at Salt Lake Stadium was the first meeting between the two national teams and Brazil’s first match on Indian soil.

Estevao opened the scoring in the 28th minute for the visitors. The Chelsea player collected the ball on the right, escaped his marker and moved inside before finding the net with a left-footed finish.

Brazil doubled their advantage three minutes before half-time. Flamengo forward Pedro struck after being played in by Estevao, with his effort reaching the net following a touch from India goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

That gave Brazil a 2-0 lead at the interval, before Lino extended it 13 minutes into the second half.

The Flamengo forward carried the ball into the penalty area and finished with his right foot into the bottom-left corner of the goal.

He completed the scoring in the fifth minute of added time to secure a four-goal victory for Carlo Ancelotti’s side.

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior started the match but was withdrawn at the beginning of the second half, when Italy manager Ancelotti introduced Lino. Barcelona forward Raphinha was absent because of injury.

The win followed Brazil’s two friendly matches against Australia during the current international break. They drew the first game 1-1 before winning the second 4-2.

India are ranked 138th in the FIFA rankings and have never qualified for the World Cup. Brazil are the highest-ranked team India have faced since the FIFA rankings were introduced in 1992.