Felipe Melo: Palmeiras lost to a team that caused Bayern Munich trouble

Palmeiras midfielder Felipe Melo spoke to the media after his team finished fourth at the FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar following defeat to Al-Ahly in the third-place play-off, stating that his side encountered very powerful rivals in the tournament.

Melo upbeat despite unsuccessful Club World Cup campaign

"We played a good game, and we were better than we were in the first game," Melo, who missed his spot-kick as his side went down to Al-Ahly on penalties, told reporters.

"Unfortunately we lost, now we need to focus on the final we will play in Brazil. We made a lot of great achievements this year. It's been an honour being here."

The 37-year-old expressed his disappointment that his team didn't achieve their goal of winning the Club World Cup title, noting they are leaving with their heads held high as they did everything they could.

"We played against two completely different football schools, the first one is Mexican with a coach that has been in charge of the team for so long, then we played against a team that made Bayern Munich go through a tough time," he said.

Al-Ahly's second third-place finish at Club World Cup

Al-Ahly's giant goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy saved two penalties, granting his team a spot on the podium after losing the previous game 2-0 to the European champions. It's the second time Al-Ahly have finished third at the Club World Cup, having also done so in 2006.