Palmeiras held by Porto as goal-keeper Ramos excels; Cunha, Jesus on target as Botafogo silence Sounders

Palmeiras and Porto played out a 0-0 draw in their Group A opener of the Club World Cup at the MetLife Stadium on Sunday, with Porto’s stand-in goalkeeper Claudio Ramos delivering a stellar performance to frustrate the Brazilian side.

Ramos, deputising for injured captain Diego Costa, produced a string of saves to deny Palmeiras, who dominated the contest but were unable to find a breakthrough.

The substitute keeper’s heroics ensured Porto left with a valuable point as all four teams in Group A remain level after Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and Egypt’s Al Ahly also drew 0-0 on Saturday.

Palmeiras nearly grabbed a winner in the dying moments when Murilo’s header struck the post, adding to their growing frustration.

Speaking to DAZN after the match, Palmeiras manager Abel Ferreira praised his side’s efforts but rued missed opportunities.

“I think it was a well-balanced game where we had the best chances, but football is incredible. Porto’s best player was their substitute goalkeeper, who made four or five incredible saves to frustrate us,” he said.

Ramos’ standout moment came in first-half stoppage time when he made three successive saves. Estevao and Mauricio were denied from close range before Richard Rios’ follow-up shot was cleared off the line by a defender.

The 32-year-old keeper stepped up admirably after Costa was sidelined with a leg muscle injury sustained in training last week.

Palmeiras, led by their young attacking duo of Vitor Roque and Estevao, soon to be joining Premier League’s Chelsea, were the more threatening side throughout the match, excelling in quick transitions and displaying incisive build-up play. However, Porto’s defence held firm, with Ramos and his backline soaking up pressure.

Porto, meanwhile, looked to exploit high balls to towering Spanish striker Samu Aghehowa and nearly benefited from a Palmeiras error in the 20th minute.

Felipe Anderson tried to challenge Martim Fernandes in a high ball lifted over Palmeiras´ box but he sliced his header and almost scored an own goal, denied with a brilliant one-handed save by keeper Weverton to avert disaster.

With all teams level on one point, Group A remains wide open as Palmeiras prepare to face Al Ahly and Porto take on Inter Miami in the next round of fixtures on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Jair Cunha and Igor Jesus scored in the first half and Botafogo beat the Seattle Sounders 2-1 at the Club World Cup on Sunday night.

Botafogo opened the scoring 28 minutes in as Cunha headed in a pass from Alex Telles. A contentious yellow card to Nouhou Tolo led to a free kick just beyond the corner of the penalty area. Sounders players felt the call was unfair as there had been some unobserved jostling between Tolo and Artur before Tolo shoved his opponent to the ground.

Before a crowd of 30,151 at Lumen Field, Botafogo doubled the lead in the first half’s final minutes with another headed goal. Vitinho connected with his 24-year-old star teammate Igor Jesus, who sent a powerful header to the bottom corner.

The Sounders played better in the second half, buoyed by their energetic subs. Four minutes after coming into the match, Paul Rothrock provided the assist for Cristian Roldan’s header in the 75th minute that deflected off Jesus.

The Sounders had two shots on target in a row in the final 30 seconds of stoppage time to try to tie the score, but the first was well blocked by a defender before John smothered Rothrock’s attempt.

Seattle will now have to try to win points off Group B powers Atlético Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain to avoid group stage elimination. Botafogo played good defense to hold onto its lead and is second in Group B on goal difference.

“Obviously, they’re a great team, and they put us under pressure in moments, but we matched them. The difference in the first half was just quality and a couple of key moments... I think if you looked at the statistics, you would say that Sounders were in a good spot, but obviously everything is the score line, and we couldn’t find that second goal.” - Seattle Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer

Agencies