At the FIFA Club World Cup tournament in the United States, no one has yet emerged who can push South American clubs aside. Whether it’s Botafogo, Flamengo, Boca, River, Fluminense, or Palmeiras—the oppenents simply cannot win. The latest victim was Al Ahly, who fell to Palmeiras 2–0, putting the Brazilian side on the brink of qualifying for the knockout stage. Plain and simple: no team from Latin America is giving anyone a moment’s peace—not even in their dreams. And it’s not like they didn’t hint at this before the tournament even began. Everyone expected European clubs to dominate once again, which is no surprise given who has the most money and constantly plunders the South American market. But this could be the tournament where Palmeiras, Flamengo, and the rest finally get their payback. Don’t be surprised if one of the South American giants makes it all the way to the final. They’ve clearly made up their minds to do just that.PARTIDO SUSPENDIDO 🏟️🌩️Protocolo por tormenta eléctrica en el Metlife StadiumEntre Palmeiras y el Al Ahly FC#MundialDeClubes2025 pic.twitter.com/3NWxNvI8Vz— Marcelo Gallardo 🔴⚪ FAN (@GallardoMarcel0) June 19, 2025 Al Ahly felt that firsthand, as they were completely outplayed from the very start of the match. It didn’t help that they had massive support from the crowd and that, at times, it felt like the game was being played in Cairo. What good is that when Abel Ferreira’s team came onto the pitch as if their lives depended on it, unfazed even by a nearly 30-minute delay due to a potential storm? Al Ahly may have avoided a natural storm—but they walked right into a footballing one. The nominal home side couldn’t even get close to the penalty box. Palmeiras goalkeeper Weverton might as well have pulled out a beach chair and taken a nap—his teammates handled everything.Yasser Ibrahim (OG) | 🇧🇷 Palmeiras 1-0 Al Ahly 🇪🇬 pic.twitter.com/e0baGt3vbr— Goals ⚽ (@Goals360hub) June 19, 2025 José López | 🇧🇷 Palmeiras 2-0 Al Ahly 🇪🇬 pic.twitter.com/9PeaLBzCv8— Goals ⚽ (@Goals360hub) June 19, 2025 The Egyptian giants’ defense was under constant pressure, and though they somehow held out through the first 45 minutes, they completely collapsed just after the break. Ali Abou made a disastrous header and scored an own goal. That was the turning point—there was no coming back for Al Ahly. Verdao delivered the knockout punch with a perfectly executed counterattack, calmly finished by Flaco Lopez. The Brazilian side could have easily won by an even bigger margin, but it seemed they were satisfied with the damage done. They knew to save their blades for much tougher opponents—maybe even to scare the gentlemen from Europe a bit longer, the ones who still believe football belongs solely to them.FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP 2025Matchday 2ThursdayPalmeiras – Al Ahly Cairo 2-0 (0-0)/Abou Ali (og) 49, Lopez 59/22:00: (4.70) Inter Miami (3.70) Porto (1.85)Friday00:55: (8.00) Seattle (4.60) Atletico Madrid (1.40)04:00: (1.23) PSG (6.50) Botafogo (12.0)19:00: (1.01) Benfica (17.0) Auckland (95.0)21:00: (4.40) Flamengo (3.50) Chelsea (1.85)Saturday00:55: (1.90) Los Angeles (3.45) Esperance (4.20)04:00: (1.22) Bayern (6.50) Boca Juniors (12.0)19:00: (9.00) Mamelodi (5.80) Dortmund (1.30)22:00: (1.20) Inter Milan (6.75) Urawa RD (14.0)Sunday00:55: (1.27) Fluminense (5.60) Ulsan (12.0)04:00: (2.15) River Plate (3.35) Monterrey (3.45)19:00: (1.22) Juventus (6.25) Wydad Casablanca (14.0)22:00: (1.22) Real Madrid (6.50) Pachuca (12.0)Monday00:55: (4.10) Salzburg (3.60) Al Hilal (1.88)04:00: (1.05) Man.City (14.0) Al Ain (35.0)***odds are subject to change***
