What happened when Indian women's football team faced Brazil?
The Indian men’s football team are all set to play against Brazil on 3rd October.
The Indian men’s Football team will play against the five-time FIFA World Cup champions Brazil in a historic meeting taking place for the first time on 3rd October 2026.
However, this will not be the first meeting between an Indian senior football team and Brazil, as the Blue Tigresses already played the Selecao back in 2021.
In this article, we will take a look at what transpired on 26th November 2021, when the Indian women’s national football team took on the Brazilian women’s national football team.
A historic outing
Catch Every Update, Anytime, Anywhere
AIFF arranged for the Indian women’s national team to be invited to the Torneio Internacional de Futebol Feminino (TFF) tournament as an exposure tour to prepare for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup taking place in 2022.
In the 4 team tournament, India would go on to play against Brazil, Chile and Venezuela in that particular order.
The game between India and Brazil would serve as a farewell match for the Brazilian midfielder Miraildes Maciel Mota (better known as Formiga), a legend in the Brazilian side, having made over 200 appearances and scoring 25+ goals along the way.
India’s first hurdle
In their first match, the Blue Tigresses would take on the Brazilian women’s national football team. Brazil had a strong start with a goal in the 1st minute of the game by Débora Cristiane de Oliveira (better known as Debinha). The goal was the result of a rebound saved by the Indian custodian Aditi Chauhan.
Brazil would keep piling the pressure on the Indian team through constant forward runs and crosses into the box, one of which led to a counterattack from the Blue Tigresses, started by Manisha Kalyan, who ran from just behind the half-way line all the way to the opponent’s box and slotted the ball into the bottom right corner.
The equaliser gave India hopes.
Thomas Dennerby’s side doubled down on their defensive strategies, relying solely on their counterattacks for some offensive prowess. India’s defence seemed to be unbreakable until Gio Garbelini (better known as Giovana) scored a goal from inside the defensive box.
After Brazil’s second goal, India had a chance from a corner, which was unfortunately not converted to a goal. At the end of the first half, India kept clinging to their hopes of a draw, as the scoreline was only 2-1 in Brazil’s favour.
Brazil run riot in the second half
In the second half of the match, the Blue Tigresses conceded two goals in quick succession as Ary Borges scored her first goal of the night in the 52nd minute of the game through a counterattack, which was followed by Kerolin Nicoli scoring Brazil’s 4th goal of the night.
Just when the night could not get any worse for the Blue Tigresses, Geyse da Silva went on to score a goal from a loose ball in the Indian box during the aftermath of a free-kick taken by Brazil.
The game was sealed by Ary Borges after she managed to score her second of the night, which was a consequence of a rebound from a shot taken by Formiga. The match ended 6-1 in favour of Brazil.
Speaking on India’s defense after that game, India Head Coach Thomas Dennerby said “We did not concede because we were out of position. There were some weak clearances so we need to be stronger with those because you cannot afford that against such quality teams.”
The manager when asked about the positives of the game, said “Losing to Brazil is nothing to be ashamed of. We take the good things with us. It was a huge experience for them and that will help in the upcoming games.”
Now, it’s the Blue Tigers’ turn to play against the five-time FIFA World Cup champions Brazil for the first time in their history on October 3. The Indian team will look to make the most of this clash and a positive result against the Selecao could help them a lot.
When will Indian men’s senior football team play Brazil?
The Blue Tigers will play against Brazil on 3rd October, 2026 in the Salt Lake Stadium.
Who scored the only goal for Indian women’s team against Brazil in 2021?
Manisha Kalyan scored the goal for India against Brazil.
For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.