FIFA U17: Costa Rica identity similar to Brazil, says coach Camacho

The team will put on a display of attacking football against Germany, declares coach.

Published : Oct 05, 2017 20:23 IST , Chennai

 Costa Rica will take on Germany on Saturday.
Costa Rica will take on Germany on Saturday.
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Costa Rica will take on Germany on Saturday.

Five-time quarterfinalist Costa Rica will put on a display of attacking football when it takes on Germany in its first match of the FIFA U-17 World Cup at Fatorda Stadium in Goa, according to its coach Breansse Camacho.

Guinea’s coach had reserved special praise for Costa Rica, claiming the North American side will be one to watch out for along with tournament favourite Brazil, the three-time champion from South America which is expected to light up the stage in Kochi.

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Camacho was thankful for the comparison and said “our team has an identity which we can compare to Brazil” in an interaction with Sportstar . The 46-year-old added, “We play a happy game. Our game is always to go in front to make the best out of the game.”

‘Step by step’

The Los Ticos will be aiming to become the first side in its history to get past the quarterfinal stage and is focused towards realising that dream. “We are focused to give the best in each game; that’s why we want to go step by step. Our first test is against Germany, and we only think about winning that game. We have our best expectation but the most important is to reach the second round. If we get past the quarterfinals then why not,” said Camacho.

Read: Spain coach Santiago plays his cards smartly

Camacho is mindful of the fact that Germany - its opponent in its opening game - will be a superior opponent to his side. “We know that Germany is a high-level team in all their category. It’s a very big country that invests in football. [It’s] a very organised and aggressive team,” he said.

‘Competitive’ Iran

To get past the group stages, Camacho's boys will have to devise a plan to stop the Iranian side, which is riding a wave of momentum coming into the World Cup. Iran defeated 2001 and two-time champion (2005, 2011) France and Mexico comprehensively in pre-tournament friendlies in Spain last week. “Iran is a very competitive team which has a very good game,” he observed.

The San José born coach returned the praise to Souleymane Camara’s Guinean side alluding to its physical strength: “It’s (Guinea is) very unpredictable, but their physical power is one of their biggest qualities.”

After its own preparatory camp in Marbella, Camacho feels that his side is clear on what is expected of it. “We have worked very hard [to showcase] very organised football, always looking forward with speed and good combinations.”

It remains to be seen if this young Costa Rican side will stay true to its words or adapt for a rearguard action against a highly technical German side on Saturday.

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