The Brazilian National Team began presenting itself this Monday (2) in Curitiba for the match against Ecuador. The game will be on Friday (6) at Couto Pereira, for the World Cup Qualifiers. By the end of the morning, 14 athletes had arrived at the hotel. In the afternoon, they start preparing at the Athletico Paranaense training center.
CBF TV interviewed forward Estevão, who was the first to arrive. He entered the hotel on Sunday night (1) after participating in Palmeiras’ victory over Athletico Paranaense in the Betano Brazilian Championship. The forward scored one of the goals in the 2-0 victory. In the interview, Estevão spoke about the emotion of defending the Brazilian National Team for the first time.
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“I’m living a dream; I’m a little nervous. It’s a mix of feelings. I’m very happy and hope to contribute a lot in this call-up,” said the 17-year-old Palmeiras forward.
Estevão was called up for the first time by Dorival Júnior and intends to get to know his new teammates starting this Monday. “We always dream, but I didn’t think it would be so fast. It will be a pleasure to play with guys I admire a lot, and I hope to learn a lot,” said the player, who sent a message to the Brazilian fans.
“You can be sure that when I enter, I will give my all in training and games. I’m happy and living a dream,” he added.
Couto Pereira will be the venue for the Brazilian National Team’s first game this year in the Qualifiers. The match will also mark the return of the National Team to Curitiba after more than two decades. The last time the National Team played in the capital of Paraná was in November 2003. On that occasion, the team led by Carlos Alberto Parreira drew with Uruguay 3-3 in a match valid for the Germany World Cup Qualifiers. The game took place at Pinheirão.
The good condition of the pitch at Couto Pereira and the location of Curitiba were decisive for CBF to choose the stadium that will host the National Team’s game in September. The capital of Paraná is about an hour and a half flight from Asunción, the location of Brazil’s next match in the competition. On September 10, Brazil will face Paraguay in the Paraguayan capital.
Undefeated in Curitiba
The National Team has played nine times in the capital of Paraná, with six wins, three draws, and no losses, achieving a 77.7% success rate. Couto Pereira was inaugurated in 1932 and has a capacity for about 40,000 spectators. The last match of the National Team at the Coritiba stadium was in 2001 when Brazil defeated Chile 2-0, getting closer to securing a spot in the 2002 World Cup.
The match between Coritiba and Novorizontino scheduled for Couto Pereira for the Série B of the Brazilian Championship will be rescheduled for September 9 or 10. The game was set for the 6th, which is now the date of the Brazilian National Team’s match.
