Renato Gaucho lauds Mamelodi Sundowns despite Fluminense's progress to Club World Cup's Round of 16 - 'It was better to suffer... we were below par'

Mamelodi Sundowns impressed in their final Group F game against Fluminense, but a point wasn't enough to keep them in the FIFA Club World Cup.

The Premier Soccer League champions had collected three points from their opening two games and needed maximum points from the South African outfit to advance.

However, a draw meant Fluminense and Borussia Dortmund advanced from the pool.

Despite making it to the next phase of the global club competition, Fluminense's coach Renato Gaucho was impressed by Sundowns.

He insists his team struggled to stay in the game, but again conceded they were not at their best.

The former Brazil international is, however, delighted that they made it to the knockout phase, hoping they will bounce back from a poor show.

"It was better to suffer and secure qualification than to play well and miss out," the former Brazil international told the media.

"We managed to achieve our first objective in the competition, I put my team together to win, I always do that.

"We were actually a little below par compared to other games. However, the team faced a very strong team, and we had a positive result," Gaucho added.

"Sometimes in football you have to suffer and today Fluminense knew how to suffer and we achieved our objective.

"The group deserves congratulations and so do the fans. We achieved the first step," he concluded.

Fluminense will play against Inter Milan in the Round of 16, hoping to get a win and make the quarter-final phase.

Nevertheless, Mamelodi Sundowns will now start preparations for the new season, hoping to reach even greater heights.