Pitso Mosimane has expressed his disappointment after Bayern Munich inflicted his first defeat as head coach of Egyptian giants Al Ahly.
A brace from reigning FIFA World Player of the Year Robert Lewandowski was enough to see the European champions past Mosimane's resilient Red Devils who made a good account of themselves at the Al Rayaan Stadium.
Hansi Flick's men have now moved on to the final where they will meet Mexican giants Tigres UNAL, while Ahly will contest for a third-place finish against South American champions Palmeiras of Brazil.
Scroll through the gallery above to see the best images of the CWC semi-final
"It was a great opportunity for us to test our performance as the African champions against one of Europe's biggest teams," he said in the post-match press conference.
"We played a good game against Al Duhail SC but we suffered today, which is normal as we face the European champions. We have to give credit to Mexico's Tigres [UNAL] after reaching the final but I expect Bayern to win the title."
On the end of his 23-game unbeaten run across all competitions since his appointment in September 2020, Mosimane admits it hit hard, especially with the missed opportunity of making their first-ever Club World Cup final.
"I am sad after today's loss. It is normal to feel sad after missing the opportunity to play in the final," he said. "We prepared the players very well for the match.
"We were not afraid and put on a good performance especially in defence. However, it is very hard to create goal-scoring chances against a big team, like Bayern Munich.
"Our target is to win the bronze medal and we have to do our best against Palmeiras to achieve third place."
The Club of the Century will take on the Copa Libertadores champions on Thursday at the Education Stadium (17h00).