The fate of those who want to win is to resolve things quickly

A duel between old acquaintances. This was how Abel Ferreira described, in the press conference previewing the match, the duel that opened the second round of the group stage of this Club World Cup, between Palmeiras and Al Ahly. This Thursday's duel was so important for two reasons: the Brazilians and Egyptians met in the 2021 and 2022 editions, with one victory for each side - Al Ahly won on penalties (0-0, 3-2 gp), followed by the Brazilian triumph (2-0) -; and, no less importantly, with the draws in the two games of the opening round, a victory this Thursday could have been important in the calculations of qualification for the round of 16.

???? @Palmeiras and @AlAhly matching forces at the MetLife Stadium. #FIFACWC pic.twitter.com/ZFza3PR9W5

— FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) June 19, 2025

“We hope that our aim improves, although in football there are no certainties, only intentions. There are no easy games these days. Where did Morocco finish in the last World Cup? Football has changed a lot in the last 15 years. It has become clear that Brazilian football is very competitive when we are given the conditions to play. The Brazilian Championship is one of the most competitive in the world. We are preparing ourselves and each game has a different story. We will try to win to reach the next stage. The atmosphere [in the dressing room] has to do with our strategic approach to the game”, said the Portuguese coach in the preview.

Comienza the 2nd closing of the Club World Cup!

????????PALMEIRAS VS AL AHLY SC?????????

????️ MetLife Stadium – Nueva Jersey???? DAZN – DSports

⏰ 11:00 ????????? #FIFACWC pic.twitter.com/rWT3JsaSne

— Cau7ivo (@kevin_kch) June 19, 2025

At MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, Abel Ferreira changed the team's tactical structure and brought Raphael Veiga back to midfield, taking off Felipe Anderson. In addition to this change, Facundo Torres replaced Maurício. The Red Devils' 4-3-3 formation, with Trezeguet, Zizo and Wessam Abou in attack, promised to create many difficulties for the Verdão . The match started with Al Ahly having more of the ball, but Palmeiras looked more dangerous in attack, due to their quick attacks and the movements from outside to inside by Estêvão, who almost opened the scoring in the opening phase (18'). Faced with the lack of tactical control, the Portuguese coach switched to a 5-3-2 defense, controlling the African team's incursions. Veiga was still scared when he saw the red card after a hard tackle on Zizo, but Anthony Taylor, called to see the images, reversed the decision and got the yellow card in the 23rd minute (39′).

At half-time, Abel repeated the same strategy as in the opening round and brought on Maurício to replace Veiga, as well as Flaco López in exchange for Vitor Roque. The reaction from São Paulo was almost immediate, with Anibal Moreno taking a free kick from the left wing into the box and, in an attempt to clear it, Wessam Abou headed the ball back and put it in his own goal (49′). Shortly after, the Argentine midfielder tried to surprise with a long-range chip, but Mohamed El-Shenawy arrived in time to save it for a corner (55′). In the following play, the Red Devils lost the ball in attack and Palmeiras took advantage of the open field to counterattack, with Maurício isolating Flaco who, alone, made it 2-0 (59′). Immediately after the goal, as has been the case for the last two days, this Palmeiras-Al Ahly match was not spared by the adverse weather conditions in the United States and was interrupted for 45 minutes. When the match resumed, the score remained the same and Palmeiras secured the victory (2-0).

Verdão in front of the marker ????

???? @FIFACWC | @Palmeiras 1 x 0 @AlAhly @FIFACWC | 14 June – 13 July | Watch all the games for free at https://t.co/fpfuiyzIoG | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld

???? All games live and exclusive on the DAZN app pic.twitter.com/EAnWJdBTEx

— DAZN Portugal (@DAZNPortugal) June 19, 2025

Palmeiras' second goal is done!

???? @FIFACWC | @Palmeiras 2 x 0 @AlAhly @FIFACWC | 14 June – 13 July | Watch all the games for free at https://t.co/fpfuiyzIoG | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld

???? All games live and exclusive on the DAZN app pic.twitter.com/4IeozpHeE6

— DAZN Portugal (@DAZNPortugal) June 19, 2025

The pearl

• At 26 years old and after a year in which he played in 62 summer games, Anibal Moreno is one of the most reliable players in Abel Ferreira's starting eleven. Despite being a positional midfielder, who plays in the most defensive sector and tries to ensure the balance of his team, the Argentine was the main reason for Palmeiras' victory against Al Ahly, making the cross that led to Abou's own goal and setting up Flaco López for the second goal. In between, Moreno also tried to make his mark with a long-range lob.

• In the shadow of Vitor Roque, it is almost unthinkable to see another player in the position of the former Barcelona player. His direct replacement is Flaco López , a 24-year-old Argentine who has been doing well and, this Thursday, came off the bench at half-time to make his mark in attack. It was with the forward on the pitch that Palmeiras took control of the game and had the best opportunities, with López leaving the match with the goal that secured the victory, in a move in which he showed his speed and managed to win the physical duel with his direct opponent.

• With this important victory, Palmeiras is, at this point, the sole leader of Group A, but will have to wait for the result of the Inter Miami-FC Porto match to know whether it will sleep in first or second place. What is certain is that, at the end of the Portuguese team's match, this group will remain completely open, with the four teams able to finish in a qualifying position or be eliminated.

• The weather conditions are bound to be one of the main (mis)events of this Club World Cup. It is true that we are talking about a country with very particular conditions, such as the United States. It is also true that, when choosing the host country for this edition, FIFA should have taken all the conditions into account... For the third day running, a match in the competition was affected by the storm and, while the bad weather did appear in Ulsan-Sundowns and Pachuca-Salzburg, that was not the case in this Palmeiras-Al Ahly match, given that the sun did not even disappear from the sky at MetLife. Basically, 45 minutes were wasted.