Mamelodi Sundowns' curious farewell to the Club World Cup: a dance dedicated to their fans after drawing with Fluminense

They tried their best, but it was not to be: Mamelodi Sundowns said goodbye to the Club World Cup this Wednesday after drawing 0-0 on the last day with Fluminense, who are in the round of 16 as second in Group F. The elimination, however, did not discourage their players, who on the pitch said a curious farewell to the tournament .

Holding each other's shoulders and in a line, the South African players danced in front of their fans, who responded in kind, proud of the team's performance , which concludes its participation in the World Cup with a decent four points and the pride of having come so close to qualifying.

It was the South Africans who needed the win most, and it showed early on, with their high pressure completely shutting down the Brazilians . Mamelodi had two clear chances inside the box in front of the goalkeeper to take the lead, but Fabio made a good save on the first and saved the ball that went into his body on the second to preserve the tie.

The hydration break, like a timeout, completely changed the dynamic. Fluminense didn't completely take control of the ball, but managed to break South Africa's dominance and begin to breathe for the first time in the match.

On the stroke of halftime, one of the Brazilian attacks resulted in a harsh challenge from Mokoena, who was already booked, which resulted in his second booking. Perhaps that's why the Mamelodi coach left him on the bench at halftime .

With 45 minutes left to score, the South Africans came out with renewed determination and overcame a Fluminense side that had yet to find a shot on target. Although chances weren't coming, the balls into space, seeking the pace of striker Iqraam Rayners, were a constant threat to the Fluminense defense.

The introduction of winger Keno for the Brazilians was a message from the coach to his players. They would be fine if they didn't concede a goal, but they had to create danger .

However, the second half ended with no shots on target . Mamelodi barely made any incursions into the penalty area in the final quarter of an hour, which Fluminense seemed to have under control throughout. A corner by the South Africans in stoppage time, which was cleared by the defense, was the only chance they had to threaten the Brazilian goal. The strength of both sides was evident .

The Mamelodi Sundowns fans deserve a special mention. Sitting behind their team's bench—figuratively speaking, because they spent the entire match standing up —they cheered and jumped nonstop throughout regulation time . There were barely a hundred of them, but at times they were louder than the thousands of Fluminense fans.