African giants, Al Ahly booted out of Club World Cup, said lesson learnt

The air in MetLife Stadium was thick with a humid, East Coast summer evening, but for the legions of Al Ahly fans, it crackled with an electric anticipation. Dressed in a sea of passionate red, they had traveled thousands of miles, their voices ready to erupt with every touch, every pass, every hopeful surge forward.

This wasn’t just a football match; it was a pilgrimage, a fervent belief that their beloved Red Devils could conquer the world, even after a tough start to the FIFA Club World Cup.

Group A had been a cruel mistress. A goalless draw against Inter Miami, followed by a narrow defeat to Palmeiras, had left Al Ahly teetering on the brink. Last night, against the formidable FC Porto, only a win would suffice, coupled with a favorable result in the concurrent Inter Miami-Palmeiras clash.

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The odds were stacked, but hope, that most stubborn of emotions, burned brightly. The match exploded from the first whistle, a breathless, end-to-end spectacle that defied tactical convention. In the 15th minute, the stadium erupted as Wessam Abou Ali, the Palestinian striker, found the net. A collective sigh of relief, quickly followed by a renewed, thunderous roar, swept through the Al Ahly faithful. The dream was alive!

But Porto, wounded and equally desperate, struck back just eight minutes later. The game became a dizzying blur of attacks and counter-attacks, a testament to both teams’ attacking prowess and, perhaps, their defensive frailties.

Abou Ali, a man possessed, converted a penalty just before halftime, restoring Al Ahly’s lead. The score was 2-1, and the fans dared to believe.

The second half was a whirlwind of emotions. Porto equalized, only for Abou Ali to complete a magnificent hat-trick, sending the red half of the stadium into delirium.

Each time Al Ahly pulled ahead, Porto, with a resilience born of European pedigree, clawed their way back. It was a boxing match, blow for blow, goal for goal. Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane’s stunning long-range strike in the 64th minute, which curled majestically into the net, felt like the decisive blow, putting Al Ahly up 4-3. The roar was deafening, a wave of pure elation. Surely, this was it.

But football, as it often does, had one more twist of the knife. As the clock ticked into the 89th minute, a collective groan rippled through the stands. Porto’s veteran defender Pepe, showing a striker’s instinct, found the equalizer. 4-4. The air went out of the stadium, replaced by a stunned silence that quickly turned into a nervous murmur.
News from the other match filtered through.

Inter Miami and Palmeiras had drawn 2-2. The implications were immediate and brutal. The 4-4 draw, despite the heroic hat-trick from Abou Ali and the relentless fight from every Al Ahly player, meant neither they nor Porto would advance.

Inter Miami and Palmeiras, by virtue of their draw and overall group performance, had secured their spots in the Round of 16.

The final whistle blew, and the celebratory roars turned into a collective sigh of disappointment, mixed with applause for an unforgettable, if ultimately heartbreaking, performance.

Players slumped to the turf, exhaustion etched on their faces, the dream of Club World Cup glory snatched away in the cruelest fashion. Wessam Abou Ali, despite his individual brilliance, looked utterly dejected, lamenting, “We should have scored five or six. The opportunity was there.”

As the red jerseys slowly filtered out of MetLife Stadium, the initial jubilation had faded into a quiet resignation. Al Ahly had fought with all their might, entertained the world, and left everything on the field.

But in the ruthless arena of the FIFA Club World Cup, sometimes, even the most spirited of fights isn’t enough to keep the dream alive. The Red Devils were out, their journey ending not with a whimper, but with the echo of an eight-goal thriller that wasn’t quite enough.