Germany U-17 coach Christian Wueck asserted yesterday that his wards will give a close fight to Colombia in their Last-16 fixture of the FIFA U-17 World Cup at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here today. Germany beat Costa Rica and Guinea, while they lost to Iran in the Group stages to qualify for the second round. Colombia, on the other hand, lost to Ghana but later clinched consecutive victories against India and the US to seal a berth in the knock-out stages. "Colombia played a very good World Championship. They were in a very close group against teams India, the US and Ghana," Wueck said.
Germany's Noah Awuku (left) celebrates a goal with a teammate during the FIFA U-17 World Cup match against Costa Rica at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa recently. Pic/Getty Images
"We think we will have a very close game, Colombia has very fast players, very strong players," he added. Talking about Germany's approach in the U-17 World Cup, the coach said: "Our first aim is to develop players for the senior team, so I think it's very important for the players to reach such a World Cup and to create impression with the fans and among other teams. If we are strong enough to win these games, it is very good for the players, for each individual." Germany lost 0-4 to Iran earlier in the group stages.
Christian Wueck
The coach said he believed the Asian Champions were a powerful and better side on the day. "Sure, Iran is a good team, very strong very compact, the better team won," Wueck said.
