Arthur Elias chose the word “pride” to express his feelings about the players of the Brazilian Women’s National Team, who qualified the team for the final of the Paris Olympic Games on Tuesday (6). At the Vélodrome in Marseille, Brazil defeated Spain, the current world champion, 4-2. However, the result does not reflect the dominance of the Brazilian performance.
After the match, the coach highlighted the greatness of the athletes’ performance in securing the National Team’s spot in the quest for the Olympic gold.
“I am very proud of these athletes for having played at this level and for believing so much in what we propose, in what I propose. We are very united and showing the capacity that Brazilian women’s football has, which I have never doubted,” he said.
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The coach’s speech after such a significant match for Brazil, capable of stirring deep emotions, is the same as when he gave his first press conference as the team’s coach in September last year at the CBF headquarters in Rio de Janeiro. Since then, he has always reinforced his confidence in the players’ talent and the prominence that the Brazilian National Team should assume.
“I have always said, since I took over the Brazilian National Team, externally, that we would compete and contend with everyone and place Brazil at the level it deserves. But, for the group, I have always said that we would be Olympic champions or World Cup champions,” he shared.
The qualification for the quarter-finals did not happen as desired. Securing the spot as the second-best third-placed team, the National Team turned the tide in the knockout stage, eliminating France and now Spain.
Throughout the campaign, of the 22 players called up, 20 have already taken the field. Only the reserve goalkeepers Tainá and Luciana have yet to play. Utilizing the entire squad at his disposal is part of the coach’s strategy to maintain intensity in each match.
“When you play six games in 16 days, you need to have a plan that knows how to manage the squad so that they arrive in condition to play an intense game, as has always been the characteristic of the team, and learn from the difficulties faced in the competition and always look for solutions, not problems,” he explained.
Returning to the podium represents the best result for the Brazilian team since the 2008 Beijing Games, when they were defeated in the final by the United States, their opponent in the quest for gold on Saturday (10) at 12 PM at the Parc des Princes in Paris. In 2004, in Athens, Brazil also took silver against the Americans. Aware of the quality of the North Americans and confident in the Brazilian capacity, Arthur analyzed the match.
“I approach it like all opponents, respecting and studying a lot, knowing that there are great players on the other side; the coach, for me, is the best in the world at the moment. On the field, it’s about competing, believing in the quality of our athletes, in what they can deliver. We have a very strong unity here, and I truly believe we can be champions,” he emphasized.
