Egyptian giants Al Ahly SC suffered a 2-0 loss to Brazilian outfit Palmeiras at the FIFA Club World Cup on Thursday evening.
Ahly coach Jose Riveiro named two changes from the opening day stalemate against Inter Miami as Yahya Attiyat Allah and Ahmed Zizo Sayed came into the starting line-up.
Riveiro’s men attempted a strong start five minutes in and saw a strike from the edge of the area by Wessam Abou Ali flew agonizingly beyond the goal of Weverton.
Chelsea-bound Estevao came close to the opener minutes in when he drifted in-field from the right and shot narrowly wide of the upright.
The hard-running Brazilian side were reduced to ten men moments ahead of halftime after Raphael Veiga walked the plank for applying a strong challenge, however the referee overturned his decison following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) check.
Veiga was removed ahead of the second half for Mauricio, while Jose Lopez also introduced in the place of Vitor Roque.
The fresh pair of legs inspired the South Americans who seized control two minutes from the break when Abbou Ali headed into his own net.
Riveiro’s outfit succumbed yet again as a through ball from Mauricio following a quick break-away released fellow substitute Lopez to net with ease.
After a brief period, the match was suspended due to adverse weather conditions around the vicinity of the venue but it eventually resumed 48 minutes later.
The giants from Cairo revived their approach up top soon after the resumption as Riveiro removed Abbou Ali to bring on Slovenian hitman Nejc Gradisar.
Palmeiras looked to double the lead minutes later through Lopez with a header inside the area, but he went wide.
The Cairo Red Devils continued chasing shadows with the minutes ticking and suffered their first defeat of the tournament.