Sundowns leave Club World Cup with a lot to be proud of

In the wake of failing to make it out of the group stages of the Fifa Club World Cup in the US, Mamelodi Sundowns defender Grant Kekana has highlighted that finer margins defined their fate.

Sundowns played a goalless draw against Brazilian side Fluminense in their last Group F match in Miami on Wednesday.

The draw meant the Tshwane giants finished third in the group on four points, one behind second-placed Fluminense, who joined pool winners Borussia Dortmund in the last 16. Dortmund bagged seven points.

“It’s a game of small margins. The difference between us and being at the top is efficiency. We need to be a lot more efficient and a lot more clinical in front of goal to compete with the best,” said Kekana.

Even so, Kekana sounded proud of their overall display in this intercontinental competition, saying they demonstrated that they had the talent to compete.

Before drawing against Fluminense, Sundowns had beaten South Korean side Ulsan 1-0 in their Group F opener, before losing 4-3 to Dortmund, where they delivered a spirited shift, in their second game.

“I think this [the Club World Cup] was a good learning experience for us. It’s a tournament that showed us we’re capable and we have the talent to compete … we surely did compete. I don’t think we were humiliated or over-dominated, to be honest, we just ran out of time,” Kekana said.

Sundowns’ Brazilian star Lucas Ribeiro was over the moon after facing a team from his motherland for the first time in Fluminense, saying the moment was special for him.

Ribeiro also insisted that the experience Sundowns gained from the Club World Cup was huge.

“It was my first time playing against a Brazilian team, so of course it was a special game for me. I am very happy with my team … the guys played very well.

“For me this experience [of playing at the Club World Cup] was massive for Sundowns,'' said Ribeiro, whose brilliant solo goal against Dortmund won him plaudits all round the globe.