
Porto, Al Ahly out after sharing eight goals in thriller
Because Palmeiras and Inter Miami drew 2-2 to finish first and second in Group A respectively, both teams at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey ended up deflated, with Porto going behind and then pulling level four times on the night.
'I'm very sad, very very sad, I feel like we should have scored five or six goals, the opportunity was there to win the game,' said Palestine international Abou Ali, who netted a hat-trick for Al Ahly.
The Egyptian side took the lead after 15 minutes as Abou Ali slotted a low effort past Claudio Ramos.
Porto quickly hit back through 18-year-old starlet Rodrigo Mora, who drove through the Al Ahly defence and rounded the goalkeeper.
Abou Ali restored his team's lead with a penalty just before half-time, but a stunning Williams Gomes strike pulled Porto level in the 50th minute.
Abou Ali completed his hat-trick little over a minute later with a towering header.
With the game lurching end-to-end Porto responded in kind two minutes later as Samu Aghehowa nodded in for 3-3.
Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane curled home brilliantly from range to give Al Ahly the lead but they could not hold on.
With a minute remaining, Pepe pulled Porto level for the fourth time to save his team's blushes on the night, although elimination in the group stage was a shock for the Portuguese side.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Iraqi News
4 days ago
- Iraqi News
The first crisis between Real Madrid and the Spanish League
Follow-up - INA The first crisis erupted between a club and the Spanish Football Federation, days before the start of the new football season. According to local reports, Real Madrid had requested an extended break to prepare for the new season following its participation in the Club World Cup in the United States. Local reports stated that, "as planned, after the Spanish Football Federation rejected its request to postpone the match scheduled for August 19th, the match will be postponed." The Spanish Football Federation's Competition Committee believes that, in order to preserve the integrity of the competition, "only force majeure justifies an official change to the schedule, which does not apply in the case of Real Madrid." Real Madrid will play its match against Osasuna as scheduled, without any changes.


Iraqi News
07-07-2025
- Iraqi News
Messi returns to MLS with spectacular double in Inter victory
Montreal – Lionel Messi scored two brilliant goals to lift Inter Miami to a 4-1 victory over Montreal in Miami's return to Major League Soccer action on Saturday in the wake of their elimination from the Club World Cup. Miami were playing their first MLS game in more than a month. They had advanced past the first phase of the Club World Cup but fell 4-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 last week. Messi made sure there was no lingering let-down for Javier Mascherano's side, who are aiming to improve on their curent sixth place in the Eastern Conference with 32 points from 17 matches. 'It is a great night, we took the three points that were very necessary to start thinking about the MLS again,' Mascherano said. 'It is never easy to reintegrate into the competition after the Club World Cup, and the players have done it perfectly.' Messi was a key figure throughout, although it was his miscue that led to the first goal for Montreal. His backpass fell right in front of Montreal's Prince Owusu, who fired a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Oscar Ustari to make it 1-0 after two minutes. Messi more than atoned. In the 33rd minute, Messi found Tadeo Allende outside the area and Allende chipped a shot over Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirios. In the 40th minute Messi conjured his trademark magic, cutting in from the right corner of the box, eluding Fernando Alvarez and curling the ball in at the far post for a goal that gave Miami a 2-1 halftime lead. Telasco Segovia made it 3-1 in the 60th minute with a blast from outside the area that hit the crossbar and bounced into the net. Messi bagged his second goal two minutes later, evading four defenders and finishing an outstanding solo run with a shot into the heart of the goal. Messi now has seven goals in his last four MLS matches, bringing his total to 12 in 14 games. 'Leo is happy playing football,' Mascherano said. 'Every time he is fit, he is going to play. Clearly we have an extra advantage when he plays and we want to use that advantage as much as possible.' Miami now face a hectic MLS stretch, with five more matches before the end of the month.


Iraqi News
05-07-2025
- Iraqi News
Mbappe ‘better' and ready for Real Madrid against Dortmund at Club World Cup
East Rutherford – Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said superstar striker Kylian Mbappe is 'better' ahead of the Club World Cup quarter-final clash against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, but would not confirm if the Frenchman will start. Mbappe missed all three group matches at the tournament with a stomach bug but returned as a substitute when Madrid edged Juventus 1-0 to reach the last eight. Youngster Gonzalo Garcia has led the line for Madrid in all four games and scored three goals in the United States. 'He's better, he's been recovering, tomorrow morning we will decide (if he starts),' Alonso told reporters Friday, before saying it might not mean 21-year-old Gonzalo had to drop out of the team. 'They can (play together), depending on the moment and the needs, they are complementary, if the context asks for it and I haven't ruled it out by any means,' continued Alonso. The Spaniard said he wanted the players 'to know first' before revealing what his plans were for the match at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Brazilian winger Rodrygo has not featured much in Alonso's plans at the tournament and when he has appeared, has not been able to contribute significantly. 'I spoke yesterday with him and he's got a positive mentality, he's willing and ready when he's needed,' said Alonso. One player who has impressed Alonso is 20-year-old playmaker Arda Guler, who struggled for game-time under Carlo Ancelotti last season. 'It's the moment to invest in a process with Arda, we will push him to develop and mature, but knowing that he can make mistakes, and accept them,' added the Spaniard. Saturday's game is a repeat of the 2024 UEFA Champions League final, in which Madrid defeated Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley. If Dortmund do not retain fond memories of that night, they do enter the contest armed with plenty of knowledge of Real's new coach having come up against Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen over the past three years. – Kovac: 'We believe' – 'You see a lot of Bayer Leverkusen at the moment in Real Madrid because he is implementing his style of football,' said Dortmund coach Niko Kovac, with the Spanish giants operating with a back three at the tournament. 'He is playing the same shape, but the quality of players is higher than at Leverkusen. 'I would say in three weeks you can't change the world, it takes time, but we have seen some very good stuff. It will be interesting and hopefully we can compete.' Dortmund are returning to the MetLife Stadium, just outside New York City, where they began their Club World Cup campaign with a 0-0 draw against Fluminense. Now they are hoping to emulate the Brazilians, who qualified for the semi-finals on Friday with a 2-1 victory over Al-Hilal. 'When we started the tournament we didn't know how it would go,' admitted Kovac, whose team arrived in the United States after finishing fourth in the German Bundesliga. Their only defeat in 14 matches since mid-March came against Barcelona in the Champions League. 'Of course we are very happy because this is a great tournament and the further on we go we can see the passion and intensity that there is. 'We played Fluminense who have made it to the semis, and yet people laughed when I said they were a top team. 'Now we want to stay here and we hope and believe we can get through to the next round.'