“They defended, they were organised, they tried to play on the counter-attack. Playing under muggy conditions with a rejigged side, the five-time world champions had to navigate some anxious moments in the opening 27 minutes before Estevao (28th), Pedro (42nd) and Samuel Lino (58th, 90+5) secured a comfortable win over world No. 138 India.
Brazilian head coach Carlo Ancelotti was impressed by India’s “organised” defence and counter-attacking approach but said his team found it “easier” to control the game after breaking the deadlock in a 4-0 win in the historic football friendly on Saturday. I think they played a good game,” Ancelotti said of India in the post-match interaction.
“Till the water break, I was thinking everything would be fine. Then we conceded a silly goal. Then we conceded a second goal.
So the calculation changed a little,” he said.
Brazilian head coach Carlo Ancelotti was impressed by India’s “organised” defence and counter-attacking approach.
The match was part of Brazil’s rebuilding phase following their pre-quarterfinal exit at the World Cup. “Now is the moment for us to give an opportunity to the young players to be part of the squad, and for us to know whether they have the quality to be part of the national team in the future. Gurpreet, making his 90th appearance for India and captaining the side, was replaced at half-time after Brazil scored twice in the opening period.
After drawing 1-1 with Australia and winning the return fixture 4-2, Ancelotti used the three-match FIFA window to take a closer look at younger players.
“We had difficulty opening the scoring, but the moment we scored through Estevao, we had more opportunities to control the game better,” he said. “It was a test,” he said. With India facing Uruguay next, Jamil said the team needed more such high-level matches.
