A clash of two vibrant football philosophies makes the quarterfinal meeting of Brazil and Germany a sell-out affair at the country’s biggest football arena, the Salt Lake Stadium, on Sunday.
In a city addicted to football, this FIFA Under-17 World Cup fixture has drawn a huge interest over the question whether the creativity of ‘Selecao’ will be scoring over the tactical efficiency of the ‘Nationalelf’.
A country that prides itself for its unmatched achievements in the sport, Brazil plays football with remarkable passion. This translates in the enviable record of the senior National side, which has won the World Cup for the highest five times.
With four World Cups in its cabinet, the German self-esteem is no less. And when the teams representing two of the strongest football nations of the world come face to face, there definitely will be something special in store for the multitudes filling up the 67,000-capacity venue.
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The match draws a strong psychological undercurrent considering some recent results that has put the two national sides on a plane of intense rivalry. Despite this being a development tournament, the results of the two senior sides are going play in the minds of the junior players as they look to revive the competition from where the seniors have left.
Germans, the reigning FIFA World Cup champions, have been drawing their strength from the epic 7-1 win of over Brazil on way to the title in the last edition (2014) while the Brazilians look for redemption in the Olympic Gold they won at home beating the formers in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.
The under-17 World Cup stats favour Brazil, which has won the title three times while the best the Germans achieved was reaching the final of the inaugural edition in 1985. The last time the two teams met was in the 2011 in Mexico where Germany nudged past Brazil 4-3 for a third place finish.
In the present context, Brazil, as the South American champion, has justified its merit with four convincing wins that saw it reaching the quarterfinals with only one goal in credit. Scoring nine goals while letting in only once, the junior Selecao side has been one of the most creative teams so far.
The only occasion it met some challenge was in the group league stage where it had to erase a goal’s deficit in overcoming the European champion Spain (2-1). The path after the initial hardship has been smooth for the Latin American giant, which definitely enjoys the edge on current form.
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For the Germans, a shock 0-4 loss against Iran in the group league stage has been the sore point in the tournament. The team rebounded strongly after that setback and has been gaining in strength with every match.
The side coached by Christian Wueck came up really strong in the pre-quarterfinals against Colombia, which it blanked 4-0 to set up the Brazilian date. The German offensive revolves round the skills of the Hamburg recruit Jann-Fiete Arp, who recently became the youngest player to make a start in the present season of Bundesliga season, played the key role in the win against Colombia.
The Germans, who will be missing its midfielder Dennis Jastrzembski owing to suspension, will be looking to carry ahead the form to challenge the Brazilians. The Carlos Amadeu coached Brazil has impressed with its game both in the creative and striking zones where the likes Lincoln, Paulinho and Brenner have excelled alongside the play-maker Alan.
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