Meanwhile, Brazilian star Estevão Willian, a Palmeiras player, made strong remarks ahead of their Club World Cup clash with Al Ahly, expressing great respect for the Egyptian team’s abilities. He said:
"Al Ahly is a well-organized team with fast attacking players. I watched their performance against Inter Miami, and we fully understand how tough this match will be—we’ll fight hard for the win."
Estevão was recently named Man of the Match in his side’s goalless draw against FC Porto in the opening round of the group stage, held at MetLife Stadium in New York City.

As for the Al Ahly vs Inter Miami encounter, it also ended in a 0–0 draw, following a first half in which Al Ahly dominated and missed several clear chances—most notably two shots by Imam Ashour and Wisam Abou Ali, both brilliantly saved by the American goalkeeper.

Unfortunately, Imam Ashour suffered a serious injury in the 14th minute and was forced to leave the field in visible pain. He was replaced by Ahmed Sayed "Zizo". In the second half, the tempo shifted in favor of Inter Miami, who created multiple chances, but neither team managed to score.