Gamba Osaka coach Akira Nishino was very happy after his team's 1-0 win over Pachuca in the Club World Cup third/fourth place game.
Masato Yamazaki's second goal of the tournament was enough to crown the Asian champions' first World Cup participation by winning third spot.
"We imposed our style throughout the game, our players weren’t afraid and showed spirit and this made me very happy," Nishino said after the game.
"We were in control for large parts of the game. We were just a bit worried in the last 15 minutes.
"We knew they play short passes so I asked my defenders to push forward and put pressure on the players who have the ball."
Fruitful participation
After beating Adelaide United of Australia and losing to Manchester United before downing Pachuca, Nishino confirmed that his team will gain massive experience from taking part in the World Cup.
"We played three top teams from three continents and I'm very pleased about that.
"We also suffered from injuries throughout the tournament, but still did well given the circumstances
"Winning the AFC Champions League and third place at the World Cup means that we did our job very well
Despite stressing that finishing third is an important achievement, Nishino confirmed that there is no room for over-joy in his team.