Thaís Lima: “We deserve to stay in the competition” | OneFootball

The Brazil Women’s Under-20 National Team has qualified for the World Cup quarterfinals. After drawing 1-1 with the United States in regular time, Brazil moved on in the tournament by winning 5-4 on penalties. Goalkeeper Thaís Lima saved the Americans’ first spot kick, a feat that kept Brazil alive in the knockout stage. She could not hold back her emotion when speaking about the save.

“It’s an incredible emotion. We work very hard every day, and we deserve to keep going in the competition. We left everything on the field. It was a war, a battle in which we knew how to suffer. That penalty I saved is for this whole team, which has been helping each other throughout the tournament,” she said.

The daughter of an Angolan mother with Portuguese nationality and a Brazilian father, Thaís previously represented Portugal’s youth national teams, but her heart spoke louder and the goalkeeper chose to play for Brazil. After her standout performance this Wednesday, the player once again said she is happy with her decision and to play for Brazil.

“I made a decision that was very difficult, but I’m very happy to represent Brazil. I’m proud of myself and I will give everything for my country,” she said.

Having qualified for the quarterfinals, the Brazilian team will return to the field on Saturday (19) at 1:30 p.m. Brasília time at Arena Sosnowiec in Poland. Their opponent will be the winner of the match between Spain and Portugal.

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