On the eve of Brazil’s Ripo 2016 semi-final, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Barbosa and Luan were a little late for their press conference.
They were back at the Granja Comary training complex, where it all began last month. The press were kept waiting, but they too had other things on their mind – Brazil’s women were playing a semi-final of their own.
Marta and Co. would ultimate bow out on penalties after a frustrating goalless draw at the Maracana.
It was a huge disappointment. Gabigol expressed his regret at the defeat, but insisted it would have no bearing on the men’s clash at the stadium on the following day.
"I do not think the women failed. They played great. Losing on penalties is always very sad, but does not add to the pressure. We know that the pressure is always very high.”
Gabriel Jesus, meanwhile, insisted the team would prepare for their semi-final like any other game, and will simply be aiming to continue doing exactly what saw them claim back-to-back victories over Denmark and Colombia last week.
“We will play the Brazilian way. We have shown that we can work the ball and show the patience to creat chances and score goal,” he said.
“We have watched some videos of them and will give it everything we have, aiming only to win the game. It will be tough, we know that it will never be easy, but we will work to ensure we reach the final.”
The future Manchester City man went on to praise captain Neymar, who was singled out for criticism from the home crowd early in the tournament.
“Neymar is a nice guy, everybody knows his quality I would be very happy to see him win the gold, not only for him but for all the work we’ve put in since meeting on July 18.
“We have to play well to make the final and then we can think about the gold. I'll be very happy for him and the group as a whole.”
Luan has arguably been the revelation of the tournament for Brazil so far. Originally a substitute, it was his introduction to facilitate a 4-2-4 that saw the Selecao transformed after opening the tournament with two disappointing goalless draws.
But the 23-year-old was humble as ever when asked about his impact on the side.
“From the first game all that was missing was the first goal. It was more anxiety,” he said.
“It was not my arrival that was crucial to the goals. I just tried to help, as I knew the importance of scoring that first goal to lift the weight from our shoulders.
“We have so much quality in attack, I expected a lot from them. The goals were important as they gave everyone the confidence we lacked."
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