Deyna Castellanos of Venezuela celebrates scoring their first goal during the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Jordan 2016 Group B match between Canada and Venezuela at King Abdullah II International Stadium on October 7, 2016 in Amman, Jordan. (Photo by Christopher Lee - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
AMMAN, October 8, 2016—Look out Yeo Minji and Ri Un-Sim. There’s a Venezuelan footballer that just snatched your record.
Venezuela’s Deyna Castellanos has shown a maturity on the field beyond many other U-17 players in this FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup in Jordan. Friday’s match-up against Canada appeared relatively uneventful until what will be remembered as one of the goals of the tournament.
In the 30th minute, on an assist from teammate Yerliane Moreno, Captain Deyna Castellanos took control of the ball, made a quick turn and used her right foot to send the ball soaring just below the crossbar. Ecstatic would almost be an understatement to describe Castellanos in the moments that followed.
With as much gusto as the kick itself, she went racing and sliding on her knees towards the screaming fans and her supportive teammates in celebration.
“I never stop because I want to be the best,” Castellanos said in the post-match press conference.
Friday’s goal for Castellanos is her ninth in U-17 World Championships. She is now the leading goal scorer in any U17 World Cup since 2008, surpassing the feat of eight goals achieved at this age level’s World Cup by Yeo Minji from the Korea Republic and Ri Un-Sim from Korea DPR in the last eight years.
Castellanos won the Golden Boot in the last U-17 World Cup in 2014, having crushed six goals in that tournament at just 15-years-old.
“I come here to win games, I come here for make goals, but this I broke a record so I feel really happy because my name” will be used in the tournament all the time, Castellanos told media Friday. For those following the excitement of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Jordan, Castellanos also made herself known with a kick from the midfield line during the October 3 game against Paraguay, which landed right into the goal in the last play of the game, sending Cameroon packing. But the two-time Player of the Match stated she’s more delighted about the win for the team.
In any sport, a good team chemistry can mean the difference between a win and a loss. For Venezuela’s U-17 National Team, Moreno said, “There’s definitely a different chemistry when we’re together. And also when we’re on the pitch, there’s a lot of communication between and that’s what brings us the results.”
Venezuela’s head coach Kenneth Zseremeta used a few moments in the press conference to discuss the suffering among residents in Venezuela. He said with suffering comes a sort of supernatural decision-making within the team, which has propelled his team to be ranked in the top eight in the world.
As the qualifying round comes to a close and some teams are beginning to say goodbye to their World Cup championship dreams, Coach Zseremeta said each match coming up is going to be like a finale. It may be a finale for some, but it seems Castellanos is just getting warmed up.
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