Hattrick hero Wessam Abou Ali unable to save Jose Riveiro's Al Ahly from Fifa Club World Cup elimination despite spirited fight against Porto

Despite leading four times, Al Ahly left the Fifa Club World Cup after a 4-4 draw against Porto on Tuesday at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

From Group A, Inter Miami and Palmeiras, who drew 2-2 in their respective game, have progressed to the Round of 16.

Meanwhile, the African giants started the game hungrier, pressed Porto, and had their effort rewarded in the 15th minute. Wessam Abou Ali, who scored an own goal in their opening match, found the back of the net as he swept a low shot past Porto's goalkeeper Claudio Ramos.

The Portuguese heavyweights almost registered an equalizer in the 20th minute, but William Gomes was denied by the woodwork. The Brazilian international unleashed a ferocious shot from the edge of the box, but his effort crashed against the woodwork.

Al Ahly's celebration for what could have been their second goal in the 23rd minute was cut short by the offside flag. Abou Ali collected a rebound and chipped over Ramos, but he was in an offside position, making his goal null and void.

Porto equalised in the 24th minute when Rodrigo Mora finished after a brilliant individual run. The Brazilian teenager beat Mohamed El Shenawy in a one-on-one situation before he fired into the net.

Al Ahly restored their lead in the second minute of added time before the halftime break through a penalty kick after Fabio Vieira brought down his opponent. Abou Ali took the penalty conversion duties and successfully planted the ball into the bottom left corner.

Five minutes into the second half, Porto equalised when Gomes's strike found the top right corner of the net.

As soon as they equalised, Porto went down when Abou Ali scored his hat-trick in the 51st minute.

However, Al Ahly's lead only lasted two minutes as Porto fought back and equalised again, this time around through Samuel Aghehowa.

Despite conceding a quick equaliser, Al Ahly kept fighting and regained their lead in the 64th minute when Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane.

Porto denied Al Ahly a win by equalising late in the second half. Pepe struck in the 89th minute when he directed the ball into the inside of the right post. This equaliser not only dispirited the Egyptian club, but it also denied Riveiro his first competitive win.

Despite the spirited fight, the Egyptian Premier League giants left the tournament sitting at the bottom of their group. They needed to win against Porto and hope that Palmeiras beat Inter Miami in the other group match, but that did not happen.

The spotlight is expected to shift to Riveiro, who took over at the end of May after a successful three-season stint with Orlando Pirates.

The Spanish coach will be highly scrutinised based on how Al Ahly will perform in the Caf Champions League and Egyptian Premier League, where real tests await him.

The Cairo titans will now shift their focus to the pre-season programme.

The performance at the Club World Cup will give Riveiro the best slate to assess his team, find the weaknesses in the playing unit, and find solutions before the 2025/26 season begins.