Palmeiras secure a strong win over Al Ahly | OneFootball

Palmeiras confirmed their status as favourites against Al Ahly, and after a challenging first half, came out strong in the second half to defeat the Egyptians with a 2-0 victory.

The Verdão takes the lead in Group A of the World Cup, which will also feature a match between Inter Miami x Porto. In the final round, the Alviverde will face the Americans, while the Dragão will clash with Al Ahly.

Tough First Half

The game was not easy for Palmeiras, especially in the first half. The initial concern for Abel Ferreira was defensive: adopting lower midfield blocks to prevent the opponent from having counterattacking opportunities.

Indeed, Al Ahly did not manage to create clear chances in the first half, and Weverton had little work. However, offensively, the Verdão produced little in the first 45 minutes.

The best chance of the first half fell to Estêvão, who received the ball on the right, left his marker talking to himself, and shot with his left foot. The ball went close to the post.

The most tense moment for Palmeiras came when the English Anthony Taylor showed a red card to Veiga for a high challenge on an opponent. After being called by VAR, Taylor reversed his decision, seeing no intensity in the action and only gave a yellow card.

Strong Return

The return for the second half was different for Palmeiras, who were aggressive both with and without the ball. Abel Ferreira made good use of the bench: Maurício brought creativity to the team in place of Veiga in midfield, and Flaco López was key in leading the attack.

In the first goal, Palmeiras had a bit of luck: after a corner kick into the area, the Egyptian striker Abou was unfortunate, deflecting the ball into his own goal and giving the Brazilians the lead.

From there, the Verdão controlled the game and quickly scored a second goal. Maurício led the counterattack and passed ahead to Flaco, who beat the defence and chipped the goalkeeper to make it 2-0.

Shortly after the second goal, the match was paused due to a storm warning. When play resumed, it continued with Brazilian dominance, and Palmeiras even threatened another goal. They didn't succeed, but in the end, they managed the advantage well, securing their first victory in the World Cup.