KOCHI: Before their opening game of the FIFA U-17 World Cup campaign, Brazil coach Carlos Amadeu had promised to give joy to the Kerala football fans with their brand of football in return for the love they had showered on his group of boys since their arrival in Kochi.
Beating Honduras 3-0 to enter the quarterfinals, Brazil made it three wins out of three at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium as they worked up a treat for the fans in their final appearance here. A goal from Marcos Antonio and a brace from Brenner was what saw off the Central Americans on Wednesday.
As promised by Amadeu, Alan’s deft touches, Paulinho’s playmaking skills and Lincoln’s goal-poaching ability will indeed stay in the minds of the Kochi crowd for years to come and will be treasured as some of these youngsters go on to don the shirts of the senior Brazil squad. And quite possibly, those of some of the world’s most renowned clubs. Brazil will now travel to Kolkata, the Mecca of Indian football, where they will face the mighty Germans on October 22 for a place in the semifinals. But the fans who turn up at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Sunday will now have a lot of work to do if they are to steal the hearts of the Brazilian cubs. For Kochi was all yellow.