India vs Brazil Legends: Chennai goes yellow in football, Brazil scrapes 2-1 win
Generations of fans turned up—some in their prime, who had likely only seen Ronaldinho’s brilliance in Barcelona colours through videos on the internet, and others older, who had watched the magic of Samba football on their television screens during World Cups.
Ronaldinho and Rivaldo enthralled the huge turnout with their pyrotechnics (Photo: Justin George)
CHENNAI: It is summer here in Chennai, and for years, people have been accustomed to seeing a sea of yellow shirts marching towards the MA Chidambaram Stadium. But on Sunday, things were different. It was a different shade of yellow and a different sport altogether. A capacity crowd at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium witnessed the Brazil Legends secure a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the India Legends in an exhibition match.
Generations of fans turned up—some in their prime, who had likely only seen Ronaldinho’s brilliance in Barcelona colours through videos on the internet, and others older, who had watched the magic of Samba football on their television screens during World Cups. Many also arrived with handmade paintings of the legendary players, eager to witness greatness in person.
As the stadium announcer read out the players' names, three drew the loudest cheers—Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, and former India captain IM Vijayan. Each of these players was a legend in his own right, having performed at the highest level. While it would have been unfair to ask more, they displayed determination and ensured the match was well contested. Despite being an exhibition game, it was fiercely contested, with no easy moments.
The first major highlight arrived as early as the second minute, when Ronaldinho proved he still had his magic touch. A poorly cleared ball fell to him, and with the faintest of first touches, he controlled it effortlessly. India Legends’ goalkeeper was surprisingly up for the challenge in the first half, comfortably dealing with a curling free-kick from Rivaldo. Ronaldinho later set up Rivaldo, much like in their glory days, but legendary Indian defenders Arnab Mondal and Deepak Mandal showed they were still more than capable of holding their own.
India did not make things easy for Brazil in the first half. Alvito D’Cunha constantly tested the defence down the right, while Nallappan Mohanraj found acres of space before half-time, only to see his shot saved by Brazilian goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes.
The goals came in the second half. Alvito opened the scoring for Brazil, but soon after, Bengaluru B team coach and soon-to-be India U20 coach Bibiano Fernandes equalised for the hosts. However, former Sao Paulo striker Ricardo Oliveira struck late in the game to secure the win for Brazil.
After the final whistle, the Brazilian players took a lap of honour as the Chennai crowd waved and cheered, paying tribute to some of the greatest footballers in history.
