En el partido masculino del día 4 del Pan Am Challenge 2011 Brasil se enfrentó a Paraguay. Ni bien sonó el silbato Brasil salió al ataque. Brasil marcó primero con una jugada de campo de Augusto DE PAULA FELIPE. Paraguay trabajó duro para generar un ataque, pero pasó la mayor parte del tiempo en defensa. En casi todo el período Brasil persistió con la presión del ataque. En el minuto 26 el brasilero, Yuri VAN DER HEIJDEN convirtió un tiro penal para darle a Brasil dos goles de ventaja. Eventualmente DE PAULA FELIPE logró romper nuevamente la defensa paraguaya y cerró el primer tiempo con un 3-0.

Brasil mantuvo su presión ofensiva en el segundo tiempo.  Mientras Paraguay continuaba jugando fuerte en la defensa, Brasil marcó dos goles rápidos alrededor del minuto 40 a través de Ricardo DE SOUSA y otro de DE PAULA FELIPE. Paraguay no se dio por vencido y trató de ir al ataque, pero no pudo mantener la posesión de la pelota lo suficiente para desarrollar juego ofensivo. VAN DER HEIJDEN puso el marcador 6-0 en el minuto 53, y solo seis minutos después DE PAULA FELIPE convertía su cuarto y último gol del partido para poner a Brasil en ventaja por 7-0 sobre Paraguay. Con diez minutos para finalizar Brasil pudo capitalizar más oportunidades y así Andrés PATROCINIO COUTO, Patrick VAN DER HEIJDEN, y dos veces Yuri VAN DER HEIJDEN concretaron dando como resultado final 11-0 a favor de Brasil.

MATCH QUOTES

Brazil’s Coach Claudio ROCHA

On the match…

Our first half was not as good as the second half. I thought we played awful in the first half and we played as individuals, which I do not think is a god thing. After the first half,  I thought it was an easy game. They knew they were not playing well and of their potential; and that they had a lack of concentration in the first half. In the second half, we ran more and changed Yuri’s [VAN DER HEIJDEN] position and there was more space to play. We played a good game in the second half. They [the players] did it…they changed the game.

On the Brazil’s improvement…

We have new faces. Yuri was not with us when we played Cuba [earlier this year]. But also I think the more time to practice and the more pitch time playing. We have been training many hours per day and the more time playing together, sleeping together, eating, and dreaming hockey together the better. Even during break times, we are talking about hockey. We can substitute a lot now too.

Brazil’s Yuri VAN DER HEIJDEN

On the match…

The first half was harder and we weren’t fast enough. The second half we found each other and that made it much easier.

On hockey in Brazil…

The gap between players has significantly decreased and so I think the level of hockey in Brazil has gotten higher.