By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Brazilian giants, Palmeiras, have beaten ten-time African champions Al Ahly 2-0 in the semi-final of the 2021 Club World Cup.
Palmeiras were dominant in the opening 30 minutes, not allowing Al Ahly to attack freely thanks to their very high pressure.
Neither side had any clear cut chances, despite the Brazilian side taking three shots, until the 39th minute, when Rafael Veiga opened the scoring. Veiga received the ball behind the Reds defence and calmly put it past Ali Lotfy.
Ayman Afsha tried to surprise Palmeiras in the opening moments of the second-half but his long range effort was caught by Weverton.
Palmeiras midfielder Dudu answered with a shot of his own, this time from close range, to double his side’s lead in the 49th minute.
From there, Al Ahly took over the possession but without use. Hamdi Fathi tried to decrease the deficit with a long range shot but it went wide.
The same player came back five minutes later to threaten Weverton’s goal with a header but it went over the bar.
Then in the 72nd minute, Weverton failed to properly save Abdelkader’ shot, giving a chance for Mohamed Sherif to get the follow-up and hit the back of the net. However, the goal was later ruled-out for offside.
Ashraf then put the final nail in the coffin after being sent off in the 81st minute following a very dangerous tackle on a Palmeiras player.
Mohamed Hany, who scored the winner against Monterrey in the last game, took a powerful half-volley from inside the penalty area in the 96th minute but Weverton brilliantly saved it.
One minute later, Walid Soliman beat all the defenders in the air, only to hit the crossbar.
Al Ahly will now face the loser between Chelsea and Al-Hilal in the other semi-final in the third-place playoff, with the winner facing Palmeiras in the final.
The final takes place on Saturday 12 February, kicking off at 16:30 GMT.