Beating Al Ahly 2-0, Palmeiras To Club World Cup Final

Palmeiras to Club World Cup final (Twitter @palmeiras)

JAKARTA - Midfielder Palmeiras Dudu scored a goal in the second half to bring the Copa Libertadores champions to a 2-0 win over Egyptian club Al Ahly at Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi, on Tuesday. Palmeiras has the right to advance to the Club World Cup final.

The Brazilian club will meet the champions of Wednesday's other semi-final between Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia and European champions Chelsea.

After a dreary opening with few chances, the match came alive in the 39th minute when Raphael Veiga tapped in Dudu's through ball to put Palmeiras in front.

Al Ahly got another surprise early in the second half after Dudu scored his own goal, from the right with a powerful strike following a well-established partnership.

See you in the #ClubWC final @Palmeiras 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/PT8lMTtC8g

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) February 8, 2022

Al Ahly, who beat Monterrey 1-0 in the second half, had more of the ball after the interval but failed to get past the Palmeiras' defense.

An easy goal from Mohamed Sherif following an error by goalkeeper Palmeiras Weverton in the 72nd minute gave Al Ahly hope of catching up but the goal was ruled out by VAR.

The Egyptian club's hopes for a comeback were dashed after in the 81st minute Ayman Ashraf was shown a red card for a dangerous tackle on striker Rony.

It completed a tough week for the 30-year-old, who was part of Egypt's national team in their loss to Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations final on Sunday.

Avisa lá que ELE DECIDE! 7️⃣🎯

Velocidade e precisão para mandar um CANUDO no ângulo e definir a classificação do #MaiorCampeãoDoBrasil para a final do Mundial de Clubes! #AvantiPalestra #PALxAHL#JuntosPeloBi pic.twitter.com/bvC8j8CP7i

— SE Palmeiras (@Palmeiras) February 8, 2022