EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. :Palmeiras overcame a 50-minute weather interruption in their second game at the Club World Cup to beat Al Ahly of Egypt 2-0 at the MetLife Stadium and go to the top of the Group A table.
But it was not the polished performance the Brazilian club’s coach Abel Ferreira had hope for, as a midday kick off and then the severe weather delay made matters tough for his players before they secured victory to advance to four points and strengthen their chances of moving to the knockout stage.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT:
South American clubs and their supporters traditionally attach much more importance to Club World Cup success than their European counterparts, and as one of the stronger of a four-team Brazilian contingent, Palmeiras carry a burden of expectation.
They started the tournament with a goalless draw on Sunday against FC Porto, the other favourites in the group, and needed a win on Thursday over the record African champions to bolster their hopes
KEY QUOTES:
Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira: “We had a difficult opponent and I thought we played better in our first match against Porto. In terms of the flow of the game, we were better against Porto but today we had to take into consideration the weather.
“The midday kick off impacted on our players and we weren’t able to be as dynamic. But in the second half we adjusted a little bit and played a better game.”
Al Ahly coach Jose Riveiro: “It was an equal first half and we felt a goal could come for us at any time and that we had the game under control.
“But in the second half we didn’t have that good a half. We tried to go again after the weather break with different options and fresh legs but it didn’t work out.”
(Writing by Mark Gleeson; editing by Pritha Sarkar)
