Brazil U-17 women’s head coach Rilany Silva has admitted that her players struggled with Nigeria’s physical intensity and lost important battles during their 3-1 defeat to the Flamingos at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Nigeria produced an impressive second-half performance to defeat Brazil in Wednesday’s semi-final in Morocco, securing a place in the competition’s final for the first time in the country’s history.

Reacting to the defeat, Silva identified technical mistakes and the inability to win individual duels as major reasons her team could not overcome the Nigerian side.

Speaking to the Brazilian Football Confederation’s television channel, she explained that winning physical battles becomes particularly important when facing African teams.

The coach admitted that her players misplaced passes and lost several duels, allowing Nigeria to take advantage of those weaknesses.

Despite the disappointment, Silva praised her players for maintaining their commitment, courage and determination throughout the encounter.

The Flamingos had taken control of the match after the break, with Queen Joseph opening the scoring before Awawu Bashiru added two goals to put Nigeria 3-0 ahead. Brazil scored a late consolation through Greise Kelly.

The victory sent Nigeria into their first-ever U-17 Women’s World Cup final, where they are scheduled to face Japan on Saturday, November 7.

For the Flamingos, the final presents an opportunity to win Nigeria’s first title in the competition.

Brazil, meanwhile, will turn their attention to the third-place match against North Korea as they attempt to finish the tournament with a medal.

Source: https://x.com/DailyPostNGR/status/2118215485833597414?a=geNn3zLCZKHDXRwEAtU&s=19