SportsPosted at: Oct 2 2026 7:49PM


Blue Tigers up against the Selecao in landmark evening for Indian soccer

Sirshendu Panth
Kolkata, Oct 2 (UNI) In an outing that is bound to remain etched in the folklore of Indian soccer irrespective of the result, the men’s senior team is all set to take on the might of Brazil, easily the most popular side in this part of the world, here on Saturday.
India go into their Yuva Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium) clash with the South American giants knowing pretty well just how wide the gap is on paper. Brazil are fifth in the latest FIFA men's ranking, while India are 138th — a difference of 133 places.
Brazil are five-time World Cup champions; India have never made the cut for the mega soccer event. In fact, the Indian senior side have never confronted such a higher-ranked opponent.
But football has never really been a dry statistical affair, and the Blue Tigers will hope to continue their momentum after the highly impressive 1-1 draw on September 25 in Bengaluru with 44th-ranked Panama, a side which featured in the recent World Cup.
India can also draw inspiration from their past. They finished fourth in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, clinched the gold at the Asian Games twice — New Delhi in 1951 and Jakarta in 1962 — besides bagging a bronze in the 1970 Bangkok Asiad. But all these successes came in the distant past. History, civilisation and soccer have moved apace.
Soccer has undergone metamorphosis in technique, technicalities and tactics. In parallel, the national side’s performance has continued to dip.
India’s highest FIFA ranking was 94th, reached in 1996, while the team now stand 138th — a drop of 44 places in 30 years. The senior side lost to Jamaica and Zimbabwe in the Unity Cup, exited in round two of World Cup qualification and failed to reach the main round of the 2027 Asian Cup.
In such a grim scenario, the Panama match has come like a breath of fresh air.
Aussie international-turned Indian team member Ryan Williams was the fulcrum of the side’s impressive show against Panama, as he found the target in the 41st minute from an Akash Mishra assist. Williams will need to again show his calibre of making the most of limited opportunities on Saturday, backed up by Manvir Singh’s running ability and Ashique Kununiyan’s pace and flank play to stretch the Brazilian defence, whenever India win the ball.
However, that is easier said than done against an opponent that belongs to a different class.
The Selecao, coached by the redoubtable Carlo Ancelotti, arrive here after a 4-2 win over Australia. The first friendly between the two sides had ended in a draw.
The talismanic Vinícius Junior poses the biggest challenge to India’s rearguard.
The Real Madrid forward — fleet-footed and crafty — is adept at testing the full backs one moment, and utilising the gaps between full-back and centre-back in the wink of a second. Akash Mishra, likely to start on India's right, will need midfield assistance to contain Vinícius, who can never be allowed to operate freely.
Defenders Anwar Ali and Bijoy Varghese will have their task cut out, with Brazil's forwards capable of dropping deep, switching positions and pouncing on spaces that appear when chased by a rearguard.
Brazil, though, will miss the flank play of the injured Raphinha, which could put more load on Vinícius and the young Endrick.
Vinícius’s clubmate tends to pick on spaces around the centre-backs and set out on dangerous runs. To counter such thrusts, the Indian defence needs to be a picture of discipline and caution.
In the midfield too, Lalengmawia Ralte, nicknamed Apuia, and Ricky Shabong, who played stellar football against Panama, will have to showcase their ability to close down spaces, which may be tested heavily.
In such David versus Goliath battles, the weaker sides often tend to go too defensive. But Indian coach Khalid Jamil would perhaps do well to avoid that, as that would provide ample space and manoeuvrability to the Brazilian medios to lurk around the Indian penalty box and cause havoc. However, during the brief 15 minutes of open practice during the day, the Indians laid stress on taking cracks at goal, which seems to be the right prescription in the given circumstances.
Kick-off time: 7.30 pm.
UNI SSP NST RSA
Tags: #Blue Tigers up against the Selecao in landmark evening for Indian soccer
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