Brazil’s U-17 Women’s National Team has wrapped up preparations for its opening match at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. Brazil faces Canada this Sunday (18) at noon (Brasília time) at the Women’s Football Complex in Salé, Morocco. The Group C match will be broadcast live on Sportv and streamed on FIFA+ and CAZÉTV.
On the eve of the World Cup opener, head coach Rilany Silva highlighted the importance of the final days of training, which focused on attacking and defensive drills. “A style of play that prioritizes thinking, their independence, and understanding where the space is. So it takes a little more work from us, but it becomes a more enjoyable process, and they leave here with so much more to draw on,” the coach explained.
Head coach Rilany Silva during Brazil’s training session ahead of their U-17 World Cup opener against CanadaCredits: Fabio Souza / CBF
During preparations, the coaching staff prioritized situations that encouraged the players to read the game and make decisions in different scenarios. For Rilany, the goal is for the team to find solutions to overcome the challenges posed by their opponents.
“When we go to a World Cup and face different footballing styles, I think our training reflects that. When they can read the game, we can hurt any opponent. And that’s what we prioritize throughout our preparations: a problem-solving environment, with different scenarios that get them thinking about the game,” Rilany said.
Brazil’s U-17 team training ahead of their World Cup opener in MoroccoCredits: Fabio Souza / CBF
A more competitive Canada
Brazil’s first test will come against familiar opponents. In last year’s edition, Brazil and Canada met in the quarterfinals in a closely contested match that ended with Brazil advancing on penalties. Rilany believes the Canadian team is better prepared and has a clearer playing philosophy than in their last meeting.
“Canada is much better than last year, with clearer ideas. They’re an extremely competitive team that plays very direct football,” she said.
The coach stressed the need for intensity and concentration in individual battles. A hard-fought match is expected, with Brazil needing to put the concepts developed throughout their preparations into practice to impose their style of play.
“We’ll have to be very aggressive and win our individual battles. We’re expecting a very entertaining game. I hope we’ll be happy at the end and that we can hurt Canada more than Canada can hurt us,” Rilany concluded.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.