Palmeiras beat Al Ahly 2-0 at the Fifa Club World Cup after play was suspended for around 40 minutes in the second half because of “severe weather”.
Referee Anthony Taylor halted the game in the 62nd-minute as dark clouds appeared over the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Players required a cooling break midway through the first-half with temperatures reaching 31C, but the heat also threatened to bring a lightning storm and Taylor was told to take the players off the field.
A message on the screen inside the stadium told supporters to “leave the Seating Bowl area and take shelter inside the stadium because of severe weather in the area.”
The Brazilian club broke the deadlock shortly after half-time when Al Ahly defender Achraf Dari headed a free-kick into his own net.
That was the first goal scored by any team in Group A following a combined 257 minutes of action.
Palmeiras did not have to wait long to grab a second with substitute Jose Lopez doubling their advantage 10 minutes later.
Lopez had missed a golden opportunity just two minutes after his introduction at half-time, but showed strength and composure to wrap up a counter-attack.
Both goals came after Palmeiras were handed a reprieve by the video assistant referee after midfielder Raphael Veiga had a red card overturned.
Veiga, who scored in a 2-0 win during their last meeting with Al Ahly at the Club World Cup in 2022, was shown a straight red when referee Taylor deemed his challenge on Zizo was high and reckless.
However, the Premier League referee was told to review the incident on the pitchside monitor and subsequently reduced the punishment to a yellow card.
Speaking via his microphone on the pitch, Taylor said “contact is low on the foot and he [Veiga] does not leave the floor two-footed”.
What was the main talking point?
With the match kicking off at midday local time in New Jersey, the weather was once again a major factor.
Players have already complained about “difficult” conditions in the USA and Paris St-Germain manager Luis Enrique admitted the heat “had an impact” when his side beat Atletico Madrid 4-0.
The temperature again hit 31C and Palmeiras’ players, who are used to competing in warm conditions in Brazil, were draped in wet towels and had ice packs during a cooling break after 30 minutes in the first-half.
Few would have predicted that it would be rain, thunder and lightning that halted play just under an hour later.
When the players were ushered off the field, half of the sky over the stadium was bright blue and some supporters were topless, however, dark clouds filled the other half and it was deemed unsafe to continue.
A 40-minute break was far from ideal with injury a serious risk when allowing the body to warm down.
The momentum of the game, which was building nicely prior to the break, also dropped away.
What’s next for these teams?
The final round of fixtures in Group A all kick-off at the same time (02:00 BST) on Tuesday. Palmeiras head to Florida to take on Inter Miami, while Al Ahly stay in New Jersey to face Porto.
Palmeiras’ victory puts them in a strong position to reach the knockout phase with four points from their opening two matches.