Fluminense s Brazilian forward #11 Keno vies with Ahly s Egyptian defender #24 Mohamed Abdelmonem during the FIFA Club World Cup football semi-final football match between Brazil s Fluminense and Egypt s Al-Ahly at King Abdullah Sport City in Jeddah on December 18, 2023. AFP
The Egyptian and African champions failed to reach the final of the global club competition for the first time in their history on a sixth attempt.
“We worked hard but luck was not on our side, we will focus strongly on the next match and thank the players,” Abdelmonem told SSC channel after the match.
He said Ahly wasted many opportunities and Fluminense took advantage of the chances that were available to them.
“We played well in the first half and in the second half we retreated a bit,” he said.
He thanked the fans who came to support the team and said they would try to get a medal in the third-place playoff on Friday.
Ahly midfielder Emam Ashour also praised his teammates despite the loss and said they did not fall short on the field.
“We did not fall short on the field and the result is not in our hands,” Ashour said through SSC channel.
He said he hoped the next match would be better and that they would focus more on it.
Ahly will play on Friday at 4:30 pm local time against the loser of the other semi-final between Urawa Reds of Japan and Manchester City of England.
Ahly had previously won the bronze medal three times before, including twice in the last three editions.
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