New Delhi: The FIFA Club World Cup match between Palmeiras and Al Ahly was suspended at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Thursday, June 19. The clash was stopped at the 62nd minute of the game, when Palmeiras were leading by 2-0.

The match was stopped after an hour’s play because of an expected storm. The fans were instructed to take shelter, and referee Anthony Taylor told both teams to leave the field immediately after Palmeiras dominated the Group A clash.

“Your attention please. For your safety, we are going to have everyone leave the Seating Bowl area and take shelter inside the stadium because of severe weather in the area. Those on the field, please walk calmly to the nearest tunnel, to the West Hall, or to the service corridor,” an official notice said on the big screen at the MetLife Stadium.

This is the third time that a match has been stopped in the Club World Cup due to the weather. The start of the Group F match between South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns and South Korea’s Ulsan was delayed by 65 minutes because of the threat of lightning in Orlando on Tuesday while the match between RB Salzburg and Pachuca was suspended in the second half for 97 minutes because of a storm on Wednesday.

Palmeiras beat Al Ahly by 2-0

Both teams failed to score goals in the first half of the match, but the Brazilian club broke the deadlock early in the second half when Al Ahly defender Achraf Dari headed a free-kick into his own goal post.

This was the first goal scored by any team in Group A after a combined action of 257 minutes. Jose Lopez netted the second goal for the club in the 59th minute of the match. He missed a big chance just two minutes after his introduction at half-time, but showed great strength and composure to seal the match for his club.