Palmeiras beats Al Ahly and jumps to the top of the group in the World Cup
Argentine forward Flaco Lopez seals 2-0 win in New Jersey
Palmeiras moved closer to qualifying for the round of 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup this Thursday (19) by securing their first victory in the competition by a score of 2-0, at the MetLife Stadium, in New Jersey (United States). The goals came in the second half. The first was an own goal, with a header from Abou Ali, after a free kick taken by Aníbal Moreno into the area. Ten minutes later, the star of Argentine Flaco López, who had entered the match at the beginning of the second half, shone. After a wonderful pass from Maurício, López extended the lead for Palmeiras with an accurate shot into the back of the net.
Then, at 17 minutes, the match was stopped due to the approach of a thunderstorm with lightning. The game was interrupted for 45 minutes and Verdão maintained the score until the final whistle.
In the first half, under the intense heat of midday (New Jersey time), there were few chances to score. The main one was for Palmeiras, with Estêvão, who narrowly missed opening the scoring for Verdão in the 17th minute. The young striker got away from his marker, reached the penalty area and shot dangerously past goalkeeper El Shenawy. The ball grazed the opposing goalpost. Then, in the 36th minute, to the despair of the Alviverde fans, midfielder Rafael Veiga was sent off after fouling Trézéguet. However, the video assistant referee (VAR) reviewed the play, and the referee on the field reversed his decision and only gave Veiga a yellow card.
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About to report to Chelsea (England), the club where he will play after the end of the Club World Cup, 18-year-old striker Estêvão was elected the best player of the match for the second time – the first time was in Palmeiras’ debut against Porto (1-1).
Verdão coach Abel Ferreira did not hide his satisfaction with the team’s performance, when analyzing the match in an interview right after the victory.
“It’s a tough game, you have to know who you’re playing against: it’s just the best team in Africa, it’s a team we’ve played against three times in World Cups, they’re used to this type of competition too. The match wasn’t easy for either team, it was very hot. I thought we were a little anxious too, then we had to stop the game after going 2-0 up. I think it’s a very fair victory, we could have scored one or two more goals, but I accept the result. Now we’re going to rest and prepare for the next one”, said the coach, in an interview with DAZN, an online platform that broadcasts all the games of the competition for free, following an agreement with FIFA.
Palmeiras will play the last game of the group stage next Monday (23), at 10 pm (Brasília time), against Inter Miami (USA), where Argentine star Lionel Messi plays. The match will be played at the Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami. At the same time, Porto will face Al Ahly, at the MetLife Stadium, in New Jersey.
