Abu Dhabi, February 9 (BNA) Palmeiras midfielder Dudu scored a superb goal in the second half as the Libertadores Cup winner scored a clinical 2-0 victory over Al-Ahly of Egypt at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to book his place in the tournament. Club World Cup Final.
The winning Brazilian team will face the second semi-final match on Wednesday between Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal and European champions Chelsea for the title, Reuters reported.
After a terrible opener that produced few chances, the game rebounded in the 39th minute when Rafael Vega converted a superb pass for Dodo for the first time to put Palmeiras ahead.
Al-Ahly shook again early in the second half after Dodo scored a goal himself, hitting the net from the right flank with a powerful shot after some great play.
Al-Ahly, who beat Monterrey 1-0 in the second round, enjoyed more ball after the first half but failed to break down Palmeiras’ strong defence.
And it seemed that a shot from Mohamed Sherif after howling from Palmeiras goalkeeper Weaverton in the 72nd minute was an exciting end, but the goal was canceled for offside after the VAR check.
Any hopes of the Egyptians returning completely disappeared in the 81st minute when Ayman Ashraf received a red card directly after a dangerous intervention from behind on Rooney.
It ended a difficult week for the 30-year-old, who was part of the Egypt squad that lost to Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations final on Sunday.