Izuchukwu OkosiOne of Africa’s three representatives, Al Ahly lost 2-0 to Brazilian side Palmeiras at the MetLife Stadium on Thursday evening in both sides’ Group A games of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Wessam Abou Ali conceded an own goal in the 49th minute while Joan Lopez doubled the lead.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe game was suspended for about 40 minutes after severe weather conditions made it impossible to play football on the pitch.
The meeting of the clubs marks the second time in three years that they are crossing path after a 2-0 win by Palmeiras in the same tournament.
English referee Anthony Taylor stopped the action with 62 minutes played as dark clouds appeared over the stadium in Easy Rutherford, New Jersey.
Players went for a cooling break midway through the first half with temperatures reaching 31C with the heat also threatening to bring a lightning storm.
Palmeiras’ goals after a supposed red card to Raphael Viega was overturned after a VAR review.
The referee, Taylor had deemed his challenge on Zizo as excessive force but changed his verdict after watching the playback on the monitor.
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As is one if the new rules introduced by FIFA, referee Anthony Taylor used the microphone on the pitch and said:
“Contact is low on the foot and he (Veiga) does not leave the floor two-footed.
Palmeiras’ victory puts them in a strong position to reach the knockout phase with four points from their opening two matches.
The final round of fixtures in Group A all kick-off at the same time as this fixture on Tuesday.
Palmeiras head to Florida to take on Inter Miami, while Al Ahly stay in New Jersey to face Porto.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
