Palmeiras Beat Al Ahly 2-0 in Weather-Delayed Club World Cup Match

Palmeiras claimed their first win in Group A of the FIFA Club World Cup with a 2-0 victory over Egypt’s Al Ahly on Thursday in New Jersey.

The match was played at the MetLife Stadium and was stopped in the 63rd minute due to a weather warning. Players and fans were asked to take shelter because of a nearby storm. After a delay of about 45 minutes, the match resumed.

Palmeiras were already 2-0 up when the game was paused. They took the lead in the 49th minute when Wessam Abou Ali accidentally headed the ball into his own net from a Palmeiras free-kick. Ten minutes later, Flaco Lopez made it 2-0 after a smart pass from Mauricio.

The win puts Palmeiras at the top of Group A with four points. The other teams in the group – Al Ahly, Inter Miami, and Porto – all have one point each. Inter Miami, led by Lionel Messi, were due to face Porto later on Thursday.

This was the third match in the tournament to be delayed by bad weather. Earlier this week, Mamelodi Sundowns’ game against Ulsan HD was delayed for over an hour before kick-off, and RB Salzburg’s match against Pachuca was stopped for 97 minutes due to a storm.

Palmeiras, who were held to a draw by Porto in their first match, looked sharp against Al Ahly. Rising star Estevao Willian, who is set to join Chelsea, was one of the standout players.

In the first half, English referee Anthony Taylor gave a red card to Palmeiras’ Raphael Veiga for a foul on Ahmed Zizo, but changed his mind after checking the VAR.

Palmeiras controlled the rest of the match after the weather delay and held on to their lead without much trouble.

So far, the South American teams have performed strongly in the tournament, helped by being in the middle of their domestic seasons and staying unbeaten.