Kolkata: Riding on high- confidence after beating Spain in their opening match of Group D, tournament favourites Brazil will eye for a berth in the round of 16 when they take on Korea DPR in their second match of the FIFA U-17 World Cup at the Jawaharlal Nehru International stadium in Kochi on Tuesday.
They clearly are the hot favorites but coach Carlos Amadeu is not taking Korea lightly. “We are playing in a World Cup, so all the opponents will be hard to beat. We know DPR Korea are very fast and like to keep possession,” said Amadeu in a press conference.
The players are in no mood to relax and want a win as midfielder Victor Bosin pointed out, “Brazil will never be relaxed after just a win. We were very happy, of course, after the match (against Spain), but now we are thinking of DPR Korea. (The win against) Spain is in the past.”
However, the Selecao country is expected to go with the same line-up that started the match against Spain. They have also been further boosted by the arrival of Sao Paulo midfielder Paolo Helinho, who replaced Vinicius Junior in the squad.
Korea DPR on the other hand face a hard task as they aim to get their campaign back on track after the 1-0 loss against debutants Niger in their opening match. They will also miss midfielder Kung Jin-song who was injured in the previous match. But coach Kim Yong-su vowed to make a comeback against Brazil.
Key players Kim Pom-hyok and Ri Kang-guk both of whom were on the bench against Niger are expected to start the match while captain Yun Min will be another vital cog to their ambitions.
History however favours the three time champions. Both the side have met twice before in the FIFA U-17 World Cup and on both occasions, Brazil have emerged victorious. In the 2005 quarter-finals in Peru, Brazil had beaten Korea 3-1 in extra time, after the match ended 1-1 in regulation time. Two years later in South Korea, Brazil encountered Koreans in the group stage, defeating them 6-1.
Spain vs Niger
U-17 Euro champions Spain find themselves in a do-or-die situation and only a win can keep their ambitions alive. Niger on the other hand are high on confidence after defeating Korea DPR 1-0 in their opening match.
Spain had taken an early lead against Brazil but conceeded twice in 20 minutes and coach Santiago Denia will look to improve his team’s defensive structure, so that the same mistake is not repeated. Niger on the other hand despite creating several chances won by just a solitary goal and has to be more prolific in scoring goals. “It’s true we created many chances, which unfortunately we failed to convert, but that’s down to the fact that the players lack experience,” said coach Soumalia.
Ferran Torres who was brilliant against Brazil will once again be a player to watch out for.
GROUP C
Germany vs Iran
With already a win in the surprisingly tough match against Costa Rica, Germany will hope to seal their berth in round of 16 when they take on underdogs Iran in the first match of Group C at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Margao on Tuesday.
“Iran have a little advantage over us because they have played in Goa before and are accustomed to the temperature. But if my players are cool and fit, we have a good chance of making a game out of it. Score not only one or two goals but many more,” said coach Christian Wuck whose side created 25 chances in their first match.
Iran on the other hand, beat Guinea 3-1 but will have to play an extraordinary game if they are to repeat the same.“It’s important for us to be mentally prepared to give our best performance. Football is a battle and we fight till the last moment. We must be prepared for fighting together to be successful,” said coach Abbas Chamanian confident that goalkeeper Ali Gholam Zadeh can keep the Germans away from scoring.
Costa Rica vs Guinea
Both the sides lost their opening match but showed fighting spirit and will count on the same to carry them over the line when they take on each other in the second match of the group on Tuesday.
Costa Rica however start as favorites in the do-or-die encounter after almost managing to successfully draw against Germany. The match was heading for a 1-1 draw but a little lapse of concentration in the 89th minute, saw Germany score and take the match away.
Both the strikers Andres Gomez of Costa Rica and Fandje Toure of Guinea could have scored a hat-trick in the first match, but ended up scoring one goal each after wasting several chances. They will look to rectify their mistakes and bring home a win.