FIFA U-17 World Cup: Brazil coach Carlos Amadeu says their midfielders played as wingers in second half against Germany

By IANS

KOLKATA: So what was the secret of Brazil’s effervescent come-from-behind 2-1 victory over a resilient Germany in the quarter-final of the FIFA U-17 World Cup? According to coach Carlos Amadeu, some key strategic changes did the trick.

“The German coach (Christian Wueck) did a good strategy. He blocked our midfielders. He neutralised our offensive system. This caused us some problem. Our left-back (Luan Candido) was playing his first game in this competition. The German coach knew that and wanted to use that to win,” Amadeu said at the post match press conference.

“In the second half, we substituted and brought in Weverson. I also asked our midfielders to play as wingers and our left back and our right back to go into the middle. Our forwards, they were penetrating inside Germany’s defence. This confused our rivals,” he added.

“Also Marcus Antonio was in front of our defence to block their shots. So, there were things we did to get better in the second half,” Amadeu explained.

The three-time champions rallied to overturn Jann-Fiete Arp’s 21st minute lead through substitute Weverson (71st) and Paulinho (77th) second-half goals to set up a semi-final clash with England on Wednesday.

It was a miraculous comeback as the Germans were brilliant till the 71st minute. At half-time, Amadeu took off Candido who had before this game played for a few minutes in two games for the Selecao boys, bringing on the hugely effective Weverson who turned the tide of the tie.

“Weverson has the personality to try such a shot and he scored a great goal. Paulinho’s one was also really beautiful. He is a player that can create moments like this. In our South American Championships, he did the same against Venezuela,” Amadeu stated when asked about the two strikes.

He hailed the support his team got from the 66,613 spectators at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Sunday.

“First of all, congratulation to you for the organisation and this is a beautiful stadium. The dressing room, the pitch everything. The stadium was packed and the way the fans supported the game, they were so polite,” Amadeu said.

“They supported Brazil but also appreciated Germany when they were playing well. So you were a great crowd.”

Asked whether the tiredness in the German ranks towards the end of the game helped them stage the fightback, he said: “Everything had an influence in the game. It was hot and humid, all these things affect quality of the match.”

“Both teams are affected. These players were playing the game of their lives. In front of 66,000 people, their minds were totally tied up. It’s a mental game this one. Germans had an advantage before as they had two days of rest more than us. I am really happy how we played both physically and mentally.”

The coach did not want to think about England, saying it was a night to enjoy for his charges.

“Today we registered a great victory. We are only thinking about enjoying tonight. We want to talk to our families and enjoy this moment.”