MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay – For the first time in its history, Mexico has reached the semifinal of the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup after eliminating Ghana 4-2 in penalties following a 2-2 draw in regular time.
Following the match, Mexico Head Coach Monica Vergara took time to speak about her team’s passage to the tournament’s final four.
“First I want to congratulate Ghana, we knew that it was going to be hugely difficult and they showed it on the field,” said Vergara to reporters.
“Twice during the match we had to come from behind, something that I’m left with about my team is that we had worked on the mental part, that there are things that we cannot control and one of those was if we get scored on. They were very resilient and playing how Mexico plays. In the end we managed to get this result, I feel very proud of the girls and the manner in which they have grown. I always tell them that reality surpasses the dream and today is a clear example of that phrase, when your reality surpasses your dreams by a lot,” added Vergara.
For Vergara, Mexico’s arrival to the semifinal stage of the tournament reflects the growth of women’s football in the country and the wide range of talent that is being developed.
“Today with more certainty I believe my players played like a Mexican player does, with a lot of pride, with passion and they have followed the example of all our national teams, both men and women. Today they did it like Mexicans,” said Vergara
Yet Mexico’s ambition is not stopping just at the semifinals. The Tricolor is keen to take the next step forward and reach the final.
“I like that my team is ambitious, that it knows that this is not the limit. We have a clear vision in the tournament, we are fulfilling it and we still have not achieved our objective. They are going to see much more of this team,” concluded Vergara.
