Palmeiras beat Al Ahly 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”.
Who stood out and who did not?
Despite ending up on the losing side, former Aston Villa winger Trezeguet caught the eye in his second appearance since re-signing for his boyhood club Al Ahly.
The 30-year-old Egypt international looked lively on the left flank and gave right-back Agustin Giay a real headache during the 61 minutes he was on the field.
Trezeguet lacked support at times and was often isolated and then crowded out by defenders when attempting to lead the charge.
Chelsea-bound Estevao Willian was the first to inject some excitement into the game when he left two defenders in his wake before dragging a shot narrowly wide.
But the Palmeiras winger struggled to impose himself any further during the match.
Estevao has been described as the “best player to have emerged from Brazilian football since Neymar” by the head of Palmeiras’ academy, Joao Paulo Sampaio.
The 18-year-old will join Chelsea when the Fifa Club World Cup concludes.
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.
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