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SPORTS SATURDAY | JUNE 21, 2025

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BRAZIL’S Palmeiras scored twice in the space of 10 second-half minutes to beat Al Ahly of Egypt 2-0 in their Group A Club World Cup clash which was halted for 50 minutes because of fears over stormy weather at the MetLife Stadium yesterday. Ahly’s Palestine international striker Wessam Abou Ali headed into his own net trying to defend a free kick whipped in by Anibal Moreno, getting into a mix-up with his defenders to hand Palmeiras a 49th minute lead. The first goal in the group was followed 10 minutes later by a swift counter-attack from the Brazilian club, expertly finished by Jose Manuel Lopez, who had come on at half-time. Immediately after the second goal, English referee Anthony Taylor took the two teams off the field while spectators were told by the public address announcer to leave their seats and seek shelter under the stadium concourse because of a “severe weather threat”. The precaution came despite no obvious signs of any storm, and after 30 minutes, spectators were told they could return to their seats. The game eventually restarted after a 50 minute delay, with Palmeiras keeping up their Mascherano hails Leo’s winning spirit INTER MIAMI coach Javier Mascherano admitted he is surprised at Lionel Messi’s desire to win after the MLS side shocked Porto at the Club World Cup yesterday. Veteran playmaker Messi curled home a fine freekick in a man-of-the-match performance at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the winning goal in Miami’s 2-1 Group A victory over their Portuguese opponents. Mascherano said his Argentine compatriot’s competitive spirit at 37 was more surprising to him than the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s quality. “Beyond his goal… he’s a player who shows us how to compete, his hunger, his desire to continue competing at whatever level it is,” Mascherano told reporters. “In a footballing sense, what else is there to say? He’s the best player that has played this sport in its history, but what is surprising is his will to win. “Today, even in the last minutes, tired, with a knock, he kept helping the team in any way he could, in attack, in defence, to get the result. “We know having him gives us an advantage, but above all, through his contagious spirit, the winning spirit that he has.” Many expected Porto to beat Inter Miami but the American side recorded a first ever victory in a competitive match for an MLS team against European opposition and the first shock at the Club World Cup. “I think that we understood that in football there are obviously hierarchies, and we were facing against a team at a high level, with international players,” said Mascherano. “But we were convinced that if we did what we had to do, if we had a plan, if we supported each other, if we were together, but above all, if we dared to play, we could compete. “What I told them (at half-time) was… to raise their spirits, because we had clearly showed we could compete, and that we had reached a moment where I didn’t care about the result,” added Mascherano. “What I was interested in was showing we were capable of playing with and without the ball, and they understood, they picked themselves up and in the end it was a great afternoon for us.” – AFP

Moment of magic Messi strikes as Inter Miami stun Porto at Club World Cup

A Lionel Messi trademark freekick earned Inter Miami a shock 2-1 comeback win against Porto in the Club World Cup yesterday. The Argentine superstar found the top corner with a second half set-piece to clinch a surprise victory for the MLS side and give them a strong chance of progressing from Group A. Inter Miami and Palmeiras have four points each, after the Brazilian side beat Al Ahly 2-0 earlier on – the Egyptians like Porto have one point.

against a really good European team… we knew that today we were weaker, but we had our strengths.” Even with Messi, arguably the face of the tournament, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium was under half-full at kickoff, hamstrung by another 3pm kickoff on a working day as it was for Chelsea’s opener at the venue. More fans entered throughout the game, keen to get a glimpse of the 37-year-old widely considered to be the game’s greatest ever player, with nearly 32,000 present in the end. Porto took the lead in the eighth minute after being awarded a soft penalty after a VAR review, as Miami defender Noah Allen made light contact with Joao Mario in the box. Spain international Samu Aghehowa beat Oscar Ustari, who had saved a penalty in the goalless draw against Al Ahly, even though the stopper got a hand to his low effort. Inter Miami levelled right at the start of the second half, with Segovia blasting home Marcelo Weigandt’s inviting cut-back to stun the Portuguese side. Messi then sent Miami ahead with a goal all of his own making after 54 minutes. The playmaker was brought down outside the area and dusted himself down before arrowing a classic Messi freekick into the top right corner. “(Messi) is a leader, he’s the player he is, he’s the greatest player in the world,” Inter Miami forward Fafa Picault told DAZN . “I had a feeling (the free-kick) was going in. That was a great goal, a great show of leadership and coming in a clutch moment for us.” – AFP

Samu Aghehowa’s early penalty gave the Portuguese side the lead as they had the better of the first half and could have scored more. However Telasco Segovia blasted Miami level

and then Messi’s freekick helped them claim a noteworthy scalp, in a match many thought would be straightforward for Porto. Co-owned by former England international David Beckham, Inter Miami played their first MLS match in 2020 and signed Messi in 2023, raising their profile significantly. This was the first competitive victory for an MLS side over European opposition, in their second encounter after Chelsea beat Los Angeles FC earlier in the week. “It’s a huge joy, the whole team made a big effort, we worked really well,” Messi told DAZN . “It’s a really important win for us and we have to enjoy it. “You can see that we want to compete, and today we competed

Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi scores their second goal from a freekick. – REUTERSPIC

Atletico sail past Sounders

Palmeiras overcome severe weather to blank Al Ahly

PABLO BARRIOS’ brace lifted Atletico Madrid to a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Sounders yesterday, getting the Spanish side’s Club World Cup campaign back on track. Axel Witsel also scored as Atletico rebounded to victory at Seattle’s home field after they began action in Group B with a 4-0 loss to Paris Saint Germain in Southern California on Monday. “From the first match onward, every game ahead of us is a final,” Atletico head coach Diego Simeone said. “There’s nothing we can do except win. “The team played a very good 30 minutes, we could have scored three or four goals if it wasn’t for the good goalkeeping and the fact that we lacked forcefulness. “Then came the penalty, small details don’t work in our favour, this time they decided it wasn’t a penalty. “We went in at the break with an advantage in the game, we made it 2-0 just after half-time. “We made a mistake at the start of the second half to allow them to press us and their goal came in a strange situation,” he continued. “Luckily we made it 3-1 with a great goal from Pablo to put the game back on track.” Albert Rusnak scored after halftime for Seattle, which has lost twice in the event before its home supporters.

Barrios, 22, scored early in each half for the first brace of his senior club career. His first goal put Atletico in front in the 11th minute to cap a furious start for the Spanish club. Giuliano Simeone did much of the work, running onto a throughball into the right edge of the penalty area, cutting back to elude a defender and then dragging a low cross toward the penalty arc. Barrios met it in stride and hit a first-time, right footed shot that rattled the underside of the crossbar on its way in. Barrios’ second in the 55th minute was simpler, as he was permitted time and space to hit a half volley past goalkeeper Stefan Fre. Before halftime, Atletico had an apparent chance to double their lead from the penalty spot taken away after referee Yael Falcon Perez reversed his initial decision after a video review. The sides then traded goals in the first five minutes of the second half. In the 47th, Witsel headed home from inside the 6-yard box in the resulting scramble after Frei pushed Llorente’s initial half-volley onto the crossbar. In the 50th, Rusnak scored from a similar range on a deflected shot after Atletico’s failure to deal with Seattle’s initial ball into the box. – Reuters/Agencies

second-half dominance. “It favours the team that is leading when you have a break like that,” said Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira. “We had a difficult opponent and I thought we played better in our first match against Porto. “In terms of the flow of the game, we were better against Porto but today we had to take into consideration the weather. “The midday kick-off impacted on our players and we weren’t able to be as dynamic. But in the second half we adjusted a little bit and played a better game.” The first period had been evenly contested, with a surprisingly high tempo for a game kicking off at midday in 31°C heat and 60% humidity, which made it feel much hotter. “It was an equal first half and we felt a goal could come for us at any time and that we had the game under control,” said Ahly coach Jose Riveiro. “But in the second half we didn’t have that good a half. “We tried to go again after the weather break with different options and fresh legs but it didn’t work out.” – Reuters/Agencies