Al Ahly suffered their first defeat under Jose Riveiro after losing 2-0 to Palmeiras at the FIFA Club World Cup.
FIFA Club World Cup
Result: Palmeiras 0-2 Al Ahly
Date: 19 June 2025
Venue: MetLife Stadium
Red Devils coach Jose Riveiro made two changes from the draw with Inter Miami, as new signing Zizo and Marwan Attia were handed starts, while Chelsea-bound signing Estêvão headlined the Fluminense.
Estevao showed why the Premier League giants came in for his services as he was the liveliest player on the park, which included carving out the first big chance when he dragged his effort inches wide on 16 minutes.
Al Ahly, meanwhile, showed a bit of promise as the first half went on, but they were unable to carve out any clear-cut openings at Weverton's goal although the hot weather in New Jersey was certainly affecting both teams.
However, the game looked have taken a turn for the Brazilians on 36 minutes when Raphael Veiga was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge, but the after a review by on the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) monitor, the referee changed his mind and gave a yellow card instead.
After a scoreless first half, the Brazilians took the lead three minutes after the break when Al Ahly defender Wessam Abou Ali nodded the ball into his own net while trying to clear from a set-piece situation.
The lead was doubled on the hour mark as Jose Manuel Lopez raced clear on goal after a swift counter and calmly slotted beyond the on-rushing Mohamed El Shenawy for his first goal of the competition.
However, the game was interrupted soon after the goal due to adverse weather, with both teams and the referees heading back to the change rooms until the situation improved.
The game eventually resumed after a 48-minute delay, as Ahly coach Riveiro made a quadruple change for the final 25 minutes by throwing Mohamed Afsha, Achraf Bencharki, Ahmed Ramadan and Nejc Gradisar.
The flurry of changes did freshen things up for the Egyptian giants, who enjoyed more of the possession as the second half continued but they lacked a killer instinct in the final and struggled to trouble goalkeeper Weverton.
The Brazilian outfit were able to see out the closing stages to claim the win and a clean sheet, while Al Ahly will now look to keep their knockout hopes alive against FC Porto.
