Under-15s: Rafael Nascimento hails staff's work on mindset for semi-final | OneFootball

Gabriel Silva / Ceará SC

Ceará are one match away from reaching the final of the U-15 Copa do Brasil. This Thursday, the 30th, at 10 a.m. (Brasília time), Vozão will face Internacional at Granja Comary, in Teresópolis (RJ). With the clash in mind, Rafael Nascimento’s coaching staff focused preparation for the semifinal on the emotional and mental aspects, while also working on the players’ recovery due to the wear and tear from the quarterfinal match against Atlético-GO.

"We had a demanding match against Atlético-GO, and we needed to work twice as hard to come from behind. So the focus of our preparation, knowing the level of the game and the strength of the opponent, is on recovering the boys. But above all, preparing them emotionally and mentally. In football, most of the time, the mental factor determines a match, how a player will behave on the field. That is a priority for us. To keep this strong mindset, understanding that we got here on merit. It will be a difficult clash, but we are ready to keep doing what we’ve been doing and deliver what we’ve been delivering, without changing our identity, which is to play football. We will fight as hard as we can to be in the final of the competition," he said.

The black-and-white team goes into the match after winning five games in the U-15 Copa do Brasil. In total, they have scored 22 goals and conceded only one. The match against Internacional will be broadcast exclusively by CBF TV on YouTube.

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