MIAMI :Fluminense did enough to become the fourth Brazilian side through to the knockout stages of the Club World Cup on Wednesday, even if they did not sign off from the group stage in style.
A 0-0 draw with Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa at the Hard Rock Stadium was enough to ensure second place in Group F and a round of 16 match-up in Charlotte on Monday with the Group E winners, which will be decided later on Wednesday.
Fluminense, who had to avoid defeat to go through, have achieved their primary objective at the tournament but are now setting their sights on further progress.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT:
Fluminense ensured there would be a full haul of four Brazilian clubs through to the knockout stages of the competition. It keeps up the Europe-South America rivalry that is the bedrock of the tournament and guarantees good attendances at matches as the Brazilian teams have all been well supported at the event.
KEY QUOTES:
Fluminense coach Renato Gaucho: “The squad is to be congratulated, as are the fans. We achieved what we came here to achieve, qualification in the first phase. We knew we would have a lot of difficulty, but sometimes it is better to suffer and qualify, than to want to play well and lose.”
Fluminense winger Jhon Arias: “It is a dream to advance and now every team that makes it to the round of 16 also wants to make it to the quarter-finals. We have to wait for the opponent to see how they do, study to gain any advantages. Our first objective was the round of 16, but that isn’t the end objective.”
Sundowns captain Ronwen Williams: “For the African teams it all comes down to efficiency in front of goal. We had our chances in the match but we did not bury them. We saw that also with the Al Ahly against Porto game and the number of chances they missed.”
(Editing by Toby Davis)
