The Red Devils poured forward en mass after falling 2-0 behind early in the second half against the South American champions, although goal-scoring chances remained scarce.

The night of defender Ashraf, who was at fault for both of Palmeiras' goals, went from bad to worse when he received a straight red card for a high-foot tackle on striker Rony with 10 minutes remaining.

"Tonight's game was very difficult, especially in the last thirty minutes. We tried to come back in the score despite conceding two goals, but we were unlucky," South African coach Mosimane said after the game.

"We played a good game and we tried to add more attacking power in the second half.

"The team's performance was affected by Ayman Ashraf being sent off. It happened in a crucial time of the game, as we were trying to score and equalise."

Mosimane led Ahly to a third-place finish last year with a shootout win over Palmeiras but he said he hoped his side would go one better and aim for a "different-coloured medal".

However, he will now have to fight for another bronze medal as Ahly will face either European champions Chelsea or Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal on Saturday.

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