Al-Ahly’s heartbreak: 5 things we learned from African champions’ loss to Palmeiras in the semifinal of the FIFA Club World Cup

There was more Egyptian heartbreak as Al-Ahly met Palmeiras in the semifinal of the FIFA Club World Cup on Tuesday and lost 2-0. Here are five things that Arab News learned from the clash between the champions of Africa and South America.

  1. Palmeiras were the better team

Taking on the South American champions was always going to be a tough ask, and so it proved. Palmeiras were well-organized and dominant in the opening half hour, pressed Al-Ahly hard and did not allow their opponents any meaningful chances. Six minutes before the break Raphael Veiga gave the Brazilian powerhouse a deserved lead. In the second half, Al-Ahly had more possession but were still unable to create the kind of clear chances necessary, and when Dudu added a second early in the second half then the Africans had a mountain to climb.

There was no coming back from that. There were some positives in that Al-Ahly responded well after conceding the goals and showed plenty of endeavour and spirit but just could not get back into the game. In the end, it fizzled out and Palmeiras ran out deserved winners to go into the final. They also got some measure of revenge for losing to the Egyptians last year.

  2. A sad 48 hours for Egyptian football

The world watched on Sunday as Egypt lost the African Cup of Nations final against Senegal in a penalty shootout, always a heartbreaking way to exit a tournament. And then less than 48 hours later, Cairo giants Al-Ahly were defeated in another big game on the world stage. Neither national team nor club can have many complaints, but losing two big games in such quick succession must be a bitter pill to swallow.

Spare a thought especially for Ayman Ashraf. The defender quickly came to Abu Dhabi from Cameroon