Own goal sinks Al Ahly as Palmeiras power on in storm-hit match
Palmeiras tightened their grip on Group A of the Club World Cup after capitalising on two second-half lapses to defeat Egypt's Al Ahly 2-0 on a night punctuated by thunder, video drama and a near hour-long weather delay.
The Brazilian side, trophy-hunting under long-serving coach Abel Ferreira, now need only a draw against Inter Miami to book a quarter-final place, while Africa's flag-bearers must beat Porto and hope other results fall their way.
Early promise, no punch
Al Ahly began brightly, Trezeguet and Attiyat Allah fizzing teasing crosses that goalkeeper Weverton claimed at full stretch.
Centre-half Yasser Ibrahim then produced a last-ditch header to thwart teenage winger Estêvão after the Chelsea-bound prodigy had wriggled into space.
Palmeiras were largely content to sit off and strike sporadically on the break, yet they almost snatched the lead when Estêvão skipped past two markers and shot a whisker wide.
Tempers flared ten minutes from the interval: birthday-boy Raphael Veiga flew into a high challenge on Zizo and was shown a straight red by English referee Anthony Taylor, only for VAR to downgrade the sanction to yellow.
Self-inflicted wound
Ferreira responded with a double substitution at half-time, introducing José 'Flaco' López and Mauricio, and within four minutes the reshuffle paid dividends—albeit via an Egyptian boot.
Aníbal Moreno's inswinging free-kick invited contact; striker Wissam Abou Ali, back helping his defence, obliged with a glancing header that left Mohamed El Shenawy helpless.
Al Ahly barely had time to reset before catastrophe struck again. A swift Verdão counter saw full-back Joaquín Piquerez surge down the left and square for López, who made amends for an earlier miss by steering an unerring finish into the far corner on 59 minutes.
Storm in the sky, storm on the touchline
Lightning in the New Jersey skyline forced officials to haul players off for 55 minutes, handing Jose Riveiro's men an unlikely breather.
The Spaniard threw on Ashraf Bencharki, Ahmed Ramadan and playmaker Afsha in search of a lifeline, and Bencharki twice went close—once with a fierce drive parried by Weverton, and again when he miscued an unmarked header.
Palmeiras, eyeing a ninth clean sheet in 12 outings, absorbed late pressure with composed defending from Gustavo Gómez and Murilo.
El Shenawy kept the scoreline respectable, stretching to tip Moreno's dipping free-kick over the bar, while Paulinho blazed over from close range at the other end.
What it means
Victory lifts Palmeiras to four points, two clear of Porto and Inter Miami ahead of their meeting later tonight.
Al Ahly remain bottom with a solitary point and have now gone 180 minutes without scoring in the United States—a statistic they must correct against Porto on Tuesday if they hope to extend their American adventure.
For African supporters who painted Times Square red earlier in the week, the equation is stark but simple: beat the Dragons, and pray the Verdão finish the job against Messi and company.
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