Two African teams were eliminated during the group stage of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Wydad was the first to exit the tournament, failing to earn any points. Yesterday, following an eight-goal thriller between Porto and Al Ahly, the Egyptian side also bowed out of the competition. The match ended in a 4-4 draw.
The game was played at a very high tempo, with the lead constantly shifting between the two sides. The opening goal came in the 15th minute from the star of the match, Wessam Abou Ali, giving Al Ahly a 1-0 lead.
Rodrigo Mora responded just eight minutes later to level the score at 1-1. Near the end of the first half, Al Ahly was awarded a penalty, which Abou Ali converted to put his team ahead 2-1.
However, Porto was far from giving up. In the 50th minute, William Gomes scored a stunning goal from outside the box to make it 2-2.
Just seconds later, Abou Ali completed his hat-trick and gave Al Ahly a 3-2 lead once again. But this time, Porto responded quickly—just two minutes later, Samu Aghehowa equalized with a header from a corner, making it 3-3.
In the 64th minute, Tunisian midfielder Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane restored Al Ahly’s lead, bringing the score to 4-3. But Porto’s persistence paid off in In the 89th minute, Pepe scored with a long-range strike to make it 4-4, and the match ended with that result.
Tomorrow, Sundowns will face Fluminense, while Esperance will play Chelsea. These results will determine which African teams, if any, advance to the round of 16.