FIFA Club World Cup: Veiga, Dudu star as Palmeiras defeat Al Ahly to enter final

Palmeiras reached the FIFA Club World Cup final after they got the better of Al Ahly in the first semi-final on Tuesday in the UAE.

Goals either side of half-time from Raphael Veiga and Dudu put the Copa Libertadores winners firmly in command at the Al Nayhan Stadium, and they survived a couple of scares to emerge comfortable 2-0 victors.

In the final, Palmeiras will face the winners of the tie between Chelsea and Al Hilal.

Abel Ferreira, the Palmeiras manager, utilised a 4-3-3 formation that could easily switch to a solid 4-5-1 out of possession. Al Ahly adopted a similar shape but lacked the inventiveness of their counterparts in the final third, something that ultimately decided this semi-final.

The Brazilians' first goal arrived in the 39th minute when Dudu cleverly released Veiga with an outside-of-the-boot flick. The attacking midfielder, who opened the scoring in the Libertadores final in November, got sufficient power and accuracy on his strike for it to beat Aly Lofty in the Egyptians' goal.

Dudu then doubled Palmeiras' advantage four minutes after the break, much to the delight of the vociferous South American support clad in green and white. The winger burst forward from halfway and, with no Al Ahly challenge forthcoming, went it alone, driving a powerful shot into the top corner.

With this match, Al Ahly extended their record for the most matches played at the tournament to 17. Auckland City are next on 15.

( With inputs from ANI )

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