Palmeiras and Porto play out stalemate | OneFootball

Palmeiras and Porto played out a goalless stalemate in their Group A opener at the Club World Cup on Sunday, with stand-in goalkeeper Cláudio Ramos turning in a superb display to deny the Brazilian side at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Ramos, stepping in for the injured Diogo Costa, produced a series of crucial saves to keep Palmeiras at bay. The São Paulo side controlled much of the play but couldn’t convert their dominance into goals.

Thanks to Ramos’ resilience between the posts, Porto secured a vital point, leaving all four sides in Group A level after Inter Miami and Al Ahly also ended 0-0 in Saturday’s clash.

Palmeiras came agonisingly close to a late winner when Murilo’s header clipped the upright, capping off a frustrating evening for Abel Ferreira’s men.

Porto stand-in star Ramos’ most eye-catching moment arrived just before half-time, as he pulled off three consecutive saves. Estevao and Mauricio were thwarted from close range, and Richard Rios’ rebound effort was then cleared off the line by a retreating defender.

The 32-year-old filled in confidently for Costa, who suffered a muscle injury in training earlier in the week.

Palmeiras, spearheaded by the youthful attacking pair of Vitor Roque and Estevao - both soon to join Chelsea - looked the more enterprising outfit throughout, displaying slick transitions and sharp movement in the final third. Still, Porto’s rearguard remained resolute, with Ramos and his defenders weathering the storm.

Porto's main threat came from aerial deliveries aimed at tall Spanish forward Samu Aghehowa, and they nearly capitalised on a Palmeiras miscue midway through the first half.

Felipe Anderson rose to contest a lofted ball with Martim Fernandes but mistimed his header, almost sending the ball into his own net—only for Weverton to produce a superb one-handed stop to keep the scores level.

With every team in Group A now on a single point, the group remains finely balanced heading into Thursday’s fixtures; Palmeiras set to face Al Ahly and Porto going head-to-head Inter Miami.