India 0-4 Brazil: Estevao, Pedro and Lino shine in Kolkata friendly

Estevao and Pedro registered a goal and an assist apiece and Samuel Lino scored twice off the bench, as Brazil beat India 4-0 in an eagerly anticipated friendly in Kolkata.

Saturday's result meant Carlo Ancelotti's Selecao ended the international break with an unbeaten record and no other injury concerns to speak of, following Raphinha's midweek withdrawal from their squad.

India started positively with Apuia trying his luck from distance, but the midfielder could not test Brazil's debutant goalkeeper Pedro Morisco, while Vinicius Junior drew a solid near-post save from Gurpreet Singh Sandhu at the other end. 

The Selecao slowly grew more dominant as the first half wore on, though, and they went in front after 28 minutes, with Sandhu unable to keep out Estevao's rasping 20-yard drive despite getting a touch on the ball down to his left. 

The Chelsea man continued to threaten as his cross was headed against the right-hand post by Pedro, but that same duo combined for Brazil's second goal in the 42nd minute as Estevao's clever reverse pass put the Flamengo striker clean through, and he powered his finish past Sandhu.

Apuia reacted quicker than any yellow shirts when Sandhu blocked Vinicius' drive, and the Real Madrid superstar was one of several players to be withdrawn at half-time as both coaches rang the changes.

Vinicius' replacement, Lino, did not need long to make an impact, as he curled a lovely finish into the far corner just before the hour mark, having been found by Pedro's instinctive flick. 

Though India looked a beaten team from that moment on, Ryan Williams had two chances to give the home fans something to cheer, forcing Mauro Junior into a desperate goal-line clearance, then firing narrowly wide from the right side of the area shortly afterwards. 

There was another goal to come for the visitors, though, as Lino menacingly cut inside from the left flank before drilling past substitute shot-stopper Prabhsukhan Gill in stoppage time.

Young forwards show promise for Brazil

Brazil approached their first-ever meeting with India off the back of a 1-1 draw and a 4-2 win in back-to-back games against Australia, but the chaotic nature of their performances Down Under had led to criticism from some fans and pundits. 

A thigh injury suffered by Raphinha further dampened the mood, and while Ancelotti acknowledged the Selecao were enduring a difficult period ahead of kick-off at the Salt Lake Stadium, he urged his players to "play with joy".

Though Brazil's tally of 1.2 expected goals (from 20 shots) was somewhat underwhelming against India, who are ranked 138th in the world and amassed 0.29 xG from nine attempts, there were several individual moments to savour.

Estevao's performance was a notable positive as Brazil enter the post-Neymar era, with the Chelsea winger now boasting six goals in just 14 appearances for his country, only seven of which have been starts. 

Pedro marked his first Brazil start with a pair of goal involvements, while Lino's two goals were his first in senior international football, on his fourth cap.

Brazil will be back in Asia during the November international break, with friendlies against Japan and Singapore in the diary, and those young attackers will surely get more opportunities to impress next month.