Rilany Silva on Brazil v Chile: "A very tough semi-final"

Rilany Silva on Brazil v Chile: "A very tough semi-final"

Brazil and Chile face off in the semifinals of the South American Women’s U-17 Championship on Wednesday (6), at 8 p.m. (Brasília time), at Defensores del Chaco Stadium in Asunción, Paraguay. This Tuesday (5), after the Brazilian National Team’s final training session before the decisive clash, head coach Rilany Silva previewed the matchup.

“I think it will be a very tough semifinal, a very competitive match. I believe it will be the highest-level game of this tournament. It’s an opponent that attacks well, defends well, and is very combative, so we already know the difficulties we’re going to face, but we also know our strengths and we have prepared so that we can hurt them and not be hurt,” she said.

The Canarinho is not only seeking a place in the final. If they advance, Brazil will also punch its ticket to Morocco, where this year’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will be held.

Rilany believes the clash between Brazil and Chile will be hard-foughtCredits: Staff Images/CBF

This is the second semifinal the coach has reached with the Brazilian National Team. In 2025, she made it to the World Cup semifinals. That same year, she played in the final hexagonal round of the South American Championship and finished as runner-up.

Rilany said she is happy to be playing in another knockout match with the Canarinho and highlighted the work of the entire staff in achieving this result.

“I feel happy and proud of the people who are here, of the whole team. They (the players) really embrace everything we propose, and because of that things happen in a very positive way. The quality you see on the field is because a lot happens off it; many people work so that they have the comfort of only having to think about the game,” she said.

“I feel very happy to be in a semifinal. It’s different from last year, when there were five games to decide the champion. When there is this knockout format, I think it is truer to what football really is. It gives them good pressure that they will face in the future and prepares them better for the day-to-day of football,” she added.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.