Club World Cup, Palmeiras tops Al Ahly (and weather alert suspension)

First win for Palmeiras in the 2025 edition of the Club World Cup: at the Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, the Verdão overcame the Egyptians of the Al Ahly 2-0, in a match characterized by a long suspension (45 minutes of stoppage time in total) due to a weather alert for heavy thunderstorms, a threat that did not materialize, however.

After a first half stingy with excitement, with the red to Raphael Veiga (rough-leg entry on Zizo) turned yellow after the moviola check on the field, it was the first part of the second half that proved decisive: at 49′; in fact, an awkward own goal by Abou Ali on the ball kicked by Moreno put Palmeiras ahead, which doubled at 59′ with Flaco Lopez resisting a defender’s charge and beating the outgoing goalkeeper El Shenawy.

At 63′ the suspension: the weather would seem to be merciless, with the possibility of lightning right at the height of the stadium that usually hosts the games of the NFL franchises of the New York Giants and the New York Jets, but in fact the sun never disappears and at 8:15 p.m. Italian time the players start playing again, to close out the last half-hour plus recovery.

The last part of the match offers no further excitement and, thanks to the first two goals scored in Group A matches, Palmeiras moves up to 4 points, while Al Ahly remains at 1. Closing the second round of the group stage, as far as the grouping is concerned, is the match between Porto and Inter Miami scheduled at 9 p.m. Italian time at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.