U17 WWC: Brazil Gaffer Admits Nigeria Exploited Technical Mistakes
By Saheed Afolabi
Brazil U17 women’s head coach, Rilany Silva has blamed technical mistakes and poor ball retention for her team’s 3-0 semifinal defeat to Nigeria at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
The Brazilian coach admitted that her players struggled to cope with Nigeria’s physical approach and were punished for repeated errors as the Flamingos secured their place in the final with an impressive performance in Sale.
Silva said Brazil’s inability to execute simple passes proved costly, recalling similar problems in their previous encounter against Ghana.
“Just like against Ghana, when you make technical mistakes against teams that are more physical than those we are used to facing, you will pay for that. Against Ghana, we made a lot of mistakes in simple passes, and that happened again today,” Rilany told FIFA.
The Brazilian tactician explained that her side struggled to exploit the spaces available in Nigeria’s defensive structure, with poor execution preventing them from making the most of their attacking opportunities.
She also identified Nigeria’s quick transitions and counter-attacks as major problems for her players throughout the contest.
“We suffered because of it. These are teams that defend and attack with two blocks and offer a lot of space inside the pitch. But we couldn’t take advantage of that because of these errors. We suffered a lot from the transitions and counter-attacks,” she added.
The defeat ended Brazil’s hopes of reaching the final, while Nigeria advanced after producing one of their most impressive performances of the tournament.
The Flamingos will now seek to crown their remarkable campaign in Morocco by winning their first-ever FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup title against Japan on Sunday, November 8.
