Egyptian champions, Al Ahly, are on the verge of exiting the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the group stage following a 2-0 loss to Brazil’s Palmeiras amid safety concerns caused by the weather at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Thursday.
The match was delayed for more than half an hour due to severe weather conditions in the New York city, with referee Anthony Taylor, halting the match in the 62nd minute as the heat threatened to bring a lightning storm.
A message on the screen inside the stadium told supporters to “leave the Seating Bowl area and take shelter inside the stadium because of severe weather in the area.”
The Brazilian club broke the deadlock shortly after half-time when Al Ahly defender Achraf Dari headed a free-kick into his own net. That was the first goal scored by any team in Group A following a combined 257 minutes of action.
Palmeiras did not have to wait long to grab a second with substitute Jose Lopez doubling their advantage 10 minutes later. Lopez had missed a golden opportunity just two minutes after his introduction at half-time, but showed strength and composure to wrap up a counter-attack.
Both goals came after Palmeiras were handed a reprieve by the video assistant referee after midfielder Raphael Veiga had a red card overturned. Veiga was shown a straight red when referee Taylor deemed his challenge on Zizo was high and reckless, before the decision was reversed.
The result puts Palmeiras top of Group A with four points from two matches, while Al Ahly go bottom of the group with one point and needing a win against FC Porto in their final group match to stand any chance of reaching the knock-out phase of the competition.