Defender João Souza hails Under-20 side's defensive solidity | OneFootball

Defender João Souza was chosen by coach Paulo Victor to captain the Brazil Under-20 National Team in the first friendly against Paraguay. And beyond a solid performance, showing leadership and good communication with his teammates, the player was also directly responsible for preventing two goals and helping the Canarinho control the match. The Brazil Under-20 National Team wrapped up preparations for the second friendly against Paraguay with a training session at Canindé on Monday (30).

The responsibility of wearing the armband is seen by the defender as a source of pride. Far from feeling any extra pressure because of the role of leading the team on the field, he thanked the coach for the trust and said he is ready if Paulo Victor makes the same choice again for Tuesday’s match (31), at Canindé.

João Souza: defender was captain in the first friendly against ParaguayCredits: Staff Images / CBF

“It is a source of great pride, not just for me, but for my whole family. It’s a responsibility, but a good responsibility. It’s a position that requires a lot of communication, passing on instructions to teammates, always helping. I’m very happy with the coach’s trust,” said the Seleção captain.

One of the challenges he overcame in the match was guiding his teammates not to play the kind of game that suited Paraguay: avoiding heavier physical battles and keeping the ball on the ground.

“We ended up getting drawn into their game a little. That’s normal — I think some players may have been a bit anxious about wearing the national team shirt for the first time. But after our first goal, we managed to take control of the match and put into practice what we had worked on. And then it was essential for us to stay mentally sharp and focused throughout the game so we wouldn’t fall into their rhythm, with lots of contact and long balls,” he said.

Corrections in training: the defender says coach Paulo Victor praised the performance but pointed out the adjustments needed for the second matchCredits: Staff Images / CBF

And the result could have been different if not for the alertness the defender mentioned. The captain cleared two balls off the line in clear Paraguay scoring chances, which could have hurt Brazil’s performance.

“We count that as a goal too, right? It was important. We tried to play out from the back and made a mistake, but I ran toward the goal and fortunately managed to clear two balls. Thank God we came away with the win,” he recalled.

For Tuesday’s match, João expects a calmer Brazil side on the field, especially because coach Paulo Victor reviewed the first game with the group, highlighting the positives but also making the necessary adjustments clear.

“The debut anxiety, the butterflies in the stomach, that’s already gone. So we’re going to keep the same focus, with the ideas Paulo Victor has been giving us. He did a great job in training correcting a few things. Other than that, it’s about keeping the same intensity from the first minute, and I’m sure we’ll be closer to victory,” he said.

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