FIFA Club World Cup: Al Ahly Bow To Palmeiras (Highlights)
Written By Omolagba Oluwayemi
Ten-time African champions Al Ahly on Tuesday evening fell 2-0 to Brazilian and South American champions Palmeiras in the first semi-final of the FIFA Club World Cup.
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Pitso Mosimane’s side last year finished third in the FIFA Club World Cup but target a step further this year but unfortunately that dream will not be realistic after they fell to Palmeiras in the semi-final.
With both teams naming a strong starting 11, Palmeiras dominated the opening 30 minutes, not allowing Al Ahly to attack freely thanks to their very high pressure.
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Neither side had any clear cut chances, despite the Brazilian side taking three shots, until the 39th minute, when Rafael Veiga opened the scoring. Vieira received the ball behind the Reds defence and calmly put it past Ali Lotfy.
Palmeiras headed into the break with a goal lead but immediately after the restart, Afsha tried to surprise Palmeiras in the opening moments of the second-half but his long range effort was caught by Weverton.
Dudu answered with a shot of his own, this time from close range, to double his Palmeiras lead in the 49th minute.
From there, Al Ahly took over the possession but without use. Hamdi Fathi tried to decrease the deficit with a long range shot but it went wide.
The same player came back five minutes later to threaten Weverton’s goal with a header but it went over the bar.
Then in the 72nd minute, Weverton failed to properly save Abdelkader’ shot, giving a chance for Mohamed Sherif to get the follow-up and hit the back of the net. However, the goal was later ruled-out for offside.
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Ayman Ashraf then put the final nail in the coffin after being sent off in the 81st minute following a very dangerous tackle on a Palmeiras player.
Mohamed Hany, who scored the winner against Monterrey in the last game, took a powerful half-volley from inside the penalty area in the 96th minute but Weverton brilliantly saved it.
One minute later, Walid Soliman beat all the defenders in the air, only to hit the crossbar.
Meanwhile…
The 2nd semi-final of the FIFA Club World Cup will come up on Wednesday between European champions Chelsea and Al-Hilal. The winner of the tie will face Palmeiras in the final, with the loser facing Al Ahly in the third-place playoff.
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Nice one
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