Spain under the microscope: what Brazil face in the U20 World Cup quarters | OneFootball

Brazil already knows who it will face in the quarterfinals of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. And the opponent arrives with serious credentials.

Spain beat Portugal 2-0 in the round of 16 and secured its place in the next stage, maintaining a perfect record in the tournament. Before that, David Aznar’s team had defeated Nigeria, New Caledonia, and China, finishing the group stage with 16 goals scored and only one conceded. In the round of 16, it won again without conceding.

The meeting with Brazil is set for Saturday the 19th, at 6:30 p.m. local time, at Arena Sosnowiec. It will be a clash between two teams still unbeaten.

A Spain side that likes to control the game

The main characteristic of Spain is quite clear: it wants the ball. In the group stage, the team averaged 71% possession, led the tournament in passes with 1,291, completed 1,158 of them, and posted 90% accuracy. It was also the team with the most shots, with 113, 53 of them on target.

This is not just about passing the ball around. Spain uses possession to move forward, bring its players closer together, and create one-on-one situations. Quick circulation also allows the forwards to appear in different areas of the field.

That is how it built a devastating attacking campaign. Against New Caledonia, it won 11-0, matching the biggest rout in U-20 World Cup history. Against China, it won 3-1 in a match where the opponent troubled it mainly by attacking the space behind the defense. And that second point is interesting for Brazil.

Paula Comendador is one of the biggest threats

If there is one name that deserves special attention, it is Paula Comendador. The Real Madrid forward scored four goals in the group stage: two against New Caledonia and two more against China. More than the goals, she impressed with her speed, ability to unbalance defenses, and ease in attacking space. FIFA highlighted exactly this development compared with the 2024 U-17 World Cup, when she had already been one of the tournament’s standout players.

Paula is not the only weapon. Celia Segura also has four goals and was responsible for a historic feat: she scored four times in the rout of New Caledonia. According to the Spanish Federation, she is the only Spanish player to record a four-goal haul in a U-20 World Cup.

Marisa García, with three goals, is also among Spain’s leading scorers. She was the one who opened the scoring against Portugal after just nine minutes. And there is also Rosalía Domínguez, perhaps the player coming into the match in the best individual form.

Rosalía arrives in top form

The Barcelona forward was named MVP against Portugal, even without scoring. Rosalía created imbalances down the left, took part in the attacking buildup, and delivered the cross that deflected off Nair Pina before going in for Spain’s second goal.

It was Rosalía’s second player-of-the-match award at the World Cup. The first had come in the opener against Nigeria. The RFEF itself highlights that the player was the U-19 European champion and has been one of the team’s main attacking threats.

In other words, Brazil will not only have to contain a goalscorer. It will face a team capable of spreading the spotlight among several players.

Where can Brazil find space?

Despite the impressive numbers, Spain has already shown that it is not untouchable. China was the clearest example. After trailing 3-0, it managed to pull one back and created a string of chances, including another clear opportunity right after the goal. The RFEF itself acknowledged that the team went through about ten minutes of pressure before regaining control.

That suggests a possible path for Brazil: attack the spaces quickly when it wins the ball back, especially behind the fullbacks and before Spain can reorganize its possession structure. Another issue will be Brazil’s ability to endure the moments without the ball.

Because this will probably be a game in which Spain tries to impose its rhythm, move the ball around, and push Brazil back.

A matchup that promises a lot

The curious thing is that Brazil and Spain arrive with very different campaigns in the details, but equally strong ones. Brazil beat Tanzania, Canada, and England in the group stage, with nine goals scored and two conceded, before eliminating the United States on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Spain has 18 goals scored and three? No: only one conceded in the group stage and none in the round of 16, totaling 18 scored and one conceded in four matches.

There has also been only one meeting between the teams in the history of the U-20 World Cup: in 2022, in the group stage, and it ended 0-0. Spain would go on to win that edition. Now, four years later, the context is completely different.

On one side is a Brazil team that survived a tough battle against the United States and reaches the quarterfinals full of confidence. On the other is a Spain side that has been steamrolling opponents, controls the ball better than almost anyone else in the tournament, and has several players capable of deciding games individually. For Brazil to advance, playing well probably will not be enough.

It will have to find a way to take Spain out of its comfort zone, survive its pressure on the ball, and above all, not allow Paula Comendador, Celia Segura, and Rosalía Domínguez space to run into. It is, without a doubt, one of the standout matches of the quarterfinals.

*André Freixo, special correspondent for Agência RTI Esporte, reporting directly from Portugal

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