Al Ahly's captain has bemoaned the penalty that teammate Percy Tau gave away in their 2-0 FIFA Club World Cup semi-final defeat to Fluminense on Monday night.
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The Red Devils crashed out of the competition following Monday's loss to the Brazilian giants, and will now only be able to compete for third place in Saudi Arabia.
A mistake from Tau helped Fluminense open the scoring from the penalty spot in the 71st minute, after the South African brought down former Real Madrid left-back Marcelo in the box with a challenge from behind.
The 35-year-old nutmegged the ex-Mamelodi Sundowns man before being fouled in the area, with Fluminense adding a second goal late on to secure a place in the final.
Speaking after the game, Ahly captain and goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy admitted that the penalty ultimately proved to be a game-changing moment.
"We missed three or four big chances today," he told SSC Sports after the game.
"We were very unlucky in my opinion. In the second half, it was back-and-forth but the penalty was a huge turning in the game because after we conceded we kept rushing things and didn't keep our concentration levels.
"I apologise to the fans because they deserved better and I can only say we were a bit unfortunate to lose, but we promise to do our best in the upcoming game."
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Al Ahly will face the loser of the other semi-final between Urawa Red Diamonds and Manchester City in a third-place play-off on Friday afternoon, while the winner of that encounter will take on Fluminense in the final later that same day.
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