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FIFA U-17 World Cup: Kolkata experience will help players, says Brazil coach

Having eased into the quarterfinals of the FIFA U-17 World Cup with a 3-0 win over Honduras in the Round of 16 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here yesterday, Brazil have earned themselves a last-eight clash against Germany in Kolkata.

Expected to be attended by close to 60,000 fans at the iconic Salt Lake Stadium, the highly-anticipated match will be played this Sunday evening.

One of the many people eagerly looking forward to the game is Brazil coach Carlos Amadeu.

Speaking to reporters after Wednesday’s win over Honduras, Amadeu said playing in front of a near-capacity crowd in Kolkata will be a good experience for his players.

“It’ll be great to play in front of 60,000 fans. In the BRICS Cup final last year, we had a totally full stadium in Goa. We had played against Chile at their home in the South American Championships final this year. There were 30,000 fans for that game,” he said.

“It’s good for their development, for their careers. This is an experience they must have here. When FIFA prepares competitions like this, they know they are preparing the guys for the future,” Amadeu added.

The coach was asked if games between Brazil and Germany, even at the U-17 level, had added relevance after the 2014 FIFA World Cup semifinal between the two nations.

Germany had humiliated hosts Brazil 7-1 in an infamous night for the Selecao.

“I prefer to talk about the (2016) Olympic Games when we won the gold medal beating Germany,” he joked in response to the query.

“Now is the moment to enjoy. We are totally focused,” he further stated.

Amadeu stressed on the need for his team to not go easy on opponents after taking the lead, saying there were occasions when his team had lost focus after going ahead in the game.

“Not only today, but in other matches as well, we have had these moments of losing concentration. It’s a challenge for me and my technical staff,” he said.

Source: HindustanTimes