Kolkata, Oct 4 — Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti carried genuine appreciation for the way India attempted to counter-attack and contributed to what he considered an entertaining and competitive contest at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan.
India made five-time world champions Brazil work hard before the Selecao showed their quality and pulled away to a 4-0 victory on Saturday with Estevao and Pedro scoring before half-time and substitute Samuel Lino striking twice after the break.
“India played their part well. They tried to play their game; they defended, they were organised, they tried to play counter-attack. I think that they played a good game. We had difficulty opening the score, but the moment we opened the score with Estevao, we had more opportunity to control the game better,” Ancelotti was quoted by AIFF.
Although Brazil kept a clean sheet, Ancelotti admitted that India managed to expose spaces during a few counter-attacks. The Italian also pointed out that Brazil fielded a defensive combination that had not previously played together.
“I think we defended well. We could have defended better if we had a couple of chances in the counter-attack, but I think for us it's important not to concede a goal,” he said. “Obviously we have to improve some mechanisms in defence, but we had a new defence that never played together, so maybe not everything was perfect.”
“Again, the message is that we are happy to be here. We tried to do our best; we tried to show our best quality to all the people who love Brazil and love football, and I hope they enjoyed the night.”
India remained compact during the opening stages and attempted to threaten Brazil through quick transitions. While Morisco had little to do for much of the first half, India tested the Brazilian goalkeeper through Ryan Williams and Manvir Singh after the restart.
Reflecting on the overall contest and the atmosphere created by 51,000-odd spectators, Ancelotti said, "We feel good. It was a good experience. I think it was a good game, entertaining, with good intensity, and India did their part."
The friendly also allowed Ancelotti to assess several members of Brazil’s emerging generation. He made extensive changes during the second half as the Selecao concluded a three-match international window that had begun with two fixtures against Australia.