SE Palmeiras and Al Ahly SC battled on a hot Thursday afternoon at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. Palmeiras scored two second-half goals – then endured a lengthy weather delay – to win 2-0 in front of 35,179 fans, and to move to the top of Group A.
Here are three thoughts from the South America-Africa matchup in the Garden State.
MetLife sees its first goal, then another
Before Thursday's match, the two other Club World Cup games played at MetLife ended in scoreless ties. The 46,725 who watched Palmeiras face Porto FC on Monday, and the 34,736 who watched Borussia Dortmund take on Fluminense FC on Tuesday didn't have much to celebrate. Today, the 35,179 high-energy fans in the overheated stands finally had something to cheer about: After 229 minutes of scoreless soccer in East Rutherford, the drought finally ended.
The first half saw a combined seven shots, with none on target. Still, it felt like a goal was coming at any moment. Just three minutes into the second half, a Palmeiras free kick met the head of Al Ahly striker Wessam Abou Ali, who headed the ball into his own net.
Al Ahly striker Wessam Abou Ali scores an own goal |Courtesy DAZN Football
It wasn't the most exciting goal to end a scoring drought, but it reinvigorated the crowd's energy.
About 10 minutes later, Palmeiras made it 2-0 off a counterattack. An Al Ahly free kick was easily cleared away, followed by some clever passing from Palmeiras to transition from defense to offense.
Substitutes Maurício and José Manuel López combined on the goal: Maurício played a through-ball to Manuel López, who used his pace to beat the Al Ahly defenders and find himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawi. Manuel López finished by slotting the ball into the bottom-right corner.
Courtesy DAZN Football
Right after the goal was scored, the game was temporarily suspended due to weather. The delay lasted about 45 minutes, sapping the energy from both teams when play resumed.
Al Ahly fought hard — for a bit
Egyptian powerhouse Al Ahly, 45-time Premier League winners and 12-time CAF Champions League winners, battled for a well-deserved point against Lionel Messi's Inter Miami last Saturday.
Last Sunday, Palmeiras tied 0-0 with Porto despite dominating all aspects of the match, topping their opponents in possession (55%), total shots (17), shots on target (five), and xG (2.08).
Heading into Today's game, Palmeiras looked to be the favorites against Al Ahly. But it wasn't that easy, especially in the first half.
Al Ahly dominated possession with 65%, and had three chances in the opening 15 minutes, but put none on target. Al Ahly then looked to gain an advantage in the 37th minute, as Palmeiras midfielder Raphael Veiga was issued a red card. But after a VAR check, referee Anthony Taylor reduced the call to a yellow card.
The own goal from Abou Ali swung the momentum completely in Palmeiras' favor, and the Brazilian side never looked back from there.
After an inspired draw with Inter Miami and a poor loss to Palmeiras, Al Ahly will need a win against Porto on Monday night to confirm its spot in the Round of 16.
Another good crowd
Some venues have struggled to pull in fans to their Club World Cup games, but not MetLife. The combined attendance of over 115,00 across three games is less than 50% of the capacity of the stadium, but the fans in attendance have brought passion and intensity.
There was a good amount of Al Ahly fans in the lower bowls, but they dominated the upper bowls. The Palmeiras fans were fewer but much louder — especially in the lower bowl — spending the entire match on their feet, singing and waving flags.
It’s a holiday here in the U.S. (Juneteenth) so the crowd is pretty decent for a noon kick off. But those Palmeiras fans behind the goal are loud and full of energy. There’s still a decent amount of red (Al Ahly) in the lower bowls and some in the upper bowls.
— matthewmangam.bsky.social (@matthewmangam.bsky.social) Jun 19, 2025 at 12:17 PM
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When the match was stopped in the 60th minute due to weather, Palmeiras fans initially remained in their seats and did not seek shelter in the concourse. Even the weather couldn't dampen their enthusiasm.
Overall, the fans at MetLife have shown out so far, creating the kind of ambiance you'd want to find at a major international tournament. With the Club World Cup's semifinals and finals taking place there, and with the World Cup to follow next year, that's a good sign.
