When FIFA’s leading decision-makers were arguing the case for the newly expanded FIFA Club World Cup, one of their main talking points was that this tournament would minimise the distance between European sides and non-European sides.
On Sunday, in a misty afternoon fixture in East Rutherford, New Jersey, it was easy to see what they meant.
Porto’s match against Palmeiras was the fourth fixture of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, coming off the back of a goalless stalemate between Al-Ahly and Inter Miami, Bayern Munich’s 10-0 massacre of Auckland City, and Paris Saint-Germain’s 4-0 demolition of Atletico Madrid. It was clear that an exciting spectacle was needed in order to get the show going, and whilst neither side managed to deliver goals, there was plenty of excitement.
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Porto struck early on as João Mário raced down the right flank and forced a save from Palmeiras goalkeeper Weverton, but the Brazilians would come roaring back shortly after.
Porto unsuccessfully tried to play out from the back and nearly landed themselves in hot water as Alan Varela’s miscued pass found its way to a green shirt, leading to a dangerous opportunity for Palmeiras, only for ex-Barcelona striker Vítor Roque to fire his effort into the sky.
It was an end-to-end affair that saw reckless challenges and dangerous scoring opportunities in abundance, with ex-Porto man Felipe Anderson and Martim Fernandes getting booked early on.
Samu Aghehowa and strike partner Rodrigo Mora wreaked havoc for the Portuguese outfit, combining to perfection and catching Palmeiras out on a number of occasions.
Porto continued to turn up the pressure and expose Palmeiras to a number of threatening set-pieces, whilst Samu nearly opened the scoring after winning possession in Palmeiras’ own half and stinging the palms of Weverton.
However, the Verdão closed out the half with some momentum after forcing a double save from Cláudio Ramos, who was filling in for Diogo Costa between the sticks, whilst Martim Fernandes harkened similarities to Jimmy Conrad with a phenomenal goal-line clearance to keep the score level going into the break.
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It proved to be a tale of two halves. With Palmeiras’ traveling support smothering the few and far between Portistas, it may as well have been held in São Paulo. These supporters helped spur their side and encourage them to chase the victory.
While Arsenal loanee Fábio Vieira did force a low stop from Weverton after the restart, and while Zé Pedro nearly broke the deadlock with a point-blank header from a corner kick, Palmeiras would take control during the final half-hour.
Palmeiras began to mount wave after wave pressure as the final whistle edged closer, with Murilo heading an outswinging corner off the post. And in the final minute, Allan launched a long throw-in towards Raphael Veiga, who skyrocketed his shot into Row Z. By the time the referee called it quits, you got the sense that Porto were grasping for air.
Apart from the goalless stalemate, perhaps the one major talking point from this match was the state of the pitch. Both Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira and Porto coach Martin Anselmi criticised the turf at the MetLife stadium, as did Chelsea-bound wonderkid Estevao.
Whilst MetLife Stadium traded its normal synthetic turf for natural grass, it’s clear that it wasn’t quite satisfactory. With MetLife set to host various important matches (including the final), it remains to be seen whether the conditions improve, worsen, or stay the same as time goes on.
