Rio De Janeiro, May 10 (UNI) Renato Augusto provided a reminder of what Fluminense has missed in the second half of the Brazilian club's clash with Bolivia's GV San Jose in the Copa Sudamericana group stage on Thursday.
In his first appearance since suffering a dislocated shoulder in January, the former Brazil international midfielder completed 93 percent of his passes - one of which led to a direct scoring opportunity - and had two shots on goal.
But the 45-minute cameo was not enough to save his side from a 1-0 defeat at Estadio Hernando Siles, situated more than 3,600 meters above sea level in Bolivian capital La Paz.
"It was great to be back because I was out for a long time," the 37-year-old said. "It was a tough road back from surgery and of course these conditions were not ideal."
"For a player who is fully fit, the altitude is already difficult. Imagine what it's like for someone who is coming back from a long injury layoff."
Renato, whose career has included spells at Beijing Guoan, Flamengo, Bayer Leverkusen and Corinthians, bemoaned his team's inability to secure at least a point against GV San Jose.
"I thought that, with a little more care, we could have come away with a slightly better result," he said. "It's difficult to play here, with a team like ours that has suffered from a lot of injuries. There's a lack of harmony and at altitude the task is even greater."
The result left Fluminense second in Group F of the continental tournament with seven points from four outings, two points behind Colombia's Once Caldas.
Renato is expected to again feature for Fluminense - potentially as a starter - when the Rio de Janeiro side visits Atletico Mineiro in Brazil's Serie A championship on Sunday.
"We have to stay calm because we have another game in the Brazilian league in two days. And we still have two home matches to come in the Copa Sudamericana. Hopefully we can reach the knockout stage with the support of our fans."
UNI XINHUA GNK