Brazil marked their first senior international appearance in India with a 4-0 victory over the hosts at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday, with Estêvão, Pedro and substitute Samuel Lino finding the net.

India stayed competitive during the opening stages but Brazil gradually took control and scored twice before half-time.

Estêvão opened the scoring in the 28th minute after moving past the Indian defence and firing towards the near post. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu got a hand to the shot but could not prevent it from finding the net.

Brazil doubled their lead in the 42nd minute. Estêvão found Pedro with a pass into the penalty area and the forward's effort went through Gurpreet to make it 2-0 at the break.

Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti made five changes at half-time, bringing on Bruno Guimarães, Gabriel Magalhães, Vanderson, Samuel Lino and Douglas Luiz.

Lino seals Brazil’s 4-0 win

Lino made an immediate impact after coming on. India lost possession while attempting to build from the back in the 58th minute, allowing the Brazilian forward to move into space on the left.

Lino then curled a low shot into the far corner to put Brazil 3-0 ahead.

India created one of their better opportunities shortly afterwards when Ryan Williams entered the Brazil penalty area, but his effort was blocked.

Brazil continued to control possession and added a fourth in stoppage time. Lino cut inside from the edge of the box in the 94th minute before driving a low shot past the goalkeeper to complete his brace.

Historic occasion at Salt Lake Stadium

The match was the first senior men's international meeting between India and Brazil and Brazil's first senior men's international on Indian soil.

The Brazilian Football Confederation said India became the 92nd different national team to face Brazil.

The match was also significant from a historical rankings perspective. Brazil had not previously played a team ranked as low as India in 28 years, while India had not faced a team ranked as high as Brazil since the FIFA rankings were introduced in 1993.

Brazil arrived in Kolkata after a 1-1 draw with Australia followed by a 4-2 victory over the same opponents in Brisbane. The match was Ancelotti's 20th in charge of Brazil.

Security was high, but attendance was lower than expected

The All India Football Federation and the West Bengal government deployed extensive security arrangements for the match.

Around 2,000 police personnel and more than 400 volunteers were reportedly deployed at Salt Lake Stadium, while additional central forces were also used. More than 100 temporary cameras were installed alongside the stadium's existing CCTV network.

Despite the scale of the preparations, large sections of the 85,000-capacity stadium remained empty even after the match began.

Several factors were cited for the lower attendance, including the timing of the fixture just before Durga Puja, ticket prices and the absence of Brazilian star Neymar.

Ticket offers failed to fill the stadium

The AIFF reportedly spent more than Rs 50 crore to bring Brazil, Uruguay and Panama to the region, while another Rs 6 crore was spent on a charter flight for Brazil's 90-member contingent from Australia.

Ticket prices were kept relatively high as organisers sought to recover costs. Discounts were subsequently offered to supporters associated with East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting.

A buy-one-get-one ticket offer was also introduced as the match approached.

Despite Kolkata's strong football culture and longstanding support for Brazil and Argentina, significant empty sections remained visible inside the stadium.

India will remain in Kolkata and face Uruguay on October 6 in another international friendly.

The match against Brazil provided India with an opportunity to test themselves against one of international football's most successful teams, although the hosts ultimately suffered a 4-0 defeat.