Fluminense coach Renato Gaucho has admitted that his team did not perform well against Mamelodi Sundowns, despite qualifying for the last 16.
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Speaking after the game, Gaucho revealed that it benefitted his team to 'suffer' during the game against Masandawana, according to Band.
"It was better to suffer and secure qualification than to play well and miss out," the Brazilian said.
"We managed to achieve our first objective in the competition," said the coach on the sidelines just after the final whistle."
The 62-year-old was full of praise for Miguel Cardoso's side and revealed that he was not playing for the draw, instead that his team could not get the result they wanted, O Dia reported.
"I put my team together to win, I always do that," Gaucho said. "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.
He 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."
With qualification secured, Gaucho was not worried about their next opponents, saying his team would be prepared for any opponent.
"I have watched the games of our possible opponents," he said. "Everyone has an opinion. We don't choose our opponents. The most important thing is that we qualified. Any opponent will be difficult, and we need to prepare ourselves."
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"I have no preference and the most important thing was the spot," he concluded.
