FIFA Club World Cup: Messi fires blank as Al Ahly hold Inter Miami in group opener

The FIFA Club World Cup started on a thrilling but goalless note early Sunday morning at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami

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Egyptian giants Al Ahly battled to a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Inter Miami, shutting down Lionel Messi and nearly claiming a famous win.

The African powerhouse were the more dominant side in the first half and came closest to breaking the deadlock, but were continually denied by an inspired performance from Inter Miami’s goalkeeper, Oscar Ustari.

Ustari finished with eight saves, including a vital stop from a Trezeguet penalty in the 43rd minute.

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Despite Miami’s second-half resurgence, the match remained scoreless, though not without late drama.

Messi nearly snatched a last-minute winner with a delicate chip, only for Mohamed El Shenawy to tip the ball onto the crossbar.

Moments later, El Shenawy used his head to deny Maximiliano Falcón, preserving the clean sheet for the Egyptian side.

Battle of two goalkeepers

“It was a great performance and we knew it was going to be difficult and so many of us are enjoying this experience – including me at my age – and I think we did really well today,” said Ustari in a post-match interview with Channel 5.
“We have to go game by game. It’s a really special tournament. Now we have to rest well, and we go again.”

Ustari’s heroics rightly earned him the Player of the Match, with his crucial penalty save proving decisive in a game filled with end-to-end action.

Mascherano keeps hope alive

Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano praised his side’s improved second-half showing, acknowledging that his team struggled early on.

“I think I am happy with the performance, it was much better in the second half,” he said.

“We could improve in the second half with the transitions, as in the first half we lost some balls that gave them some transitions which were very dangerous.”

Despite the draw, both teams earned a point apiece in Group A, which also features Palmeiras of Brazil and FC Porto of Portugal.

Al Ahly will now prepare to face Palmeiras on Thursday, while Inter Miami face a tough test against Porto. With qualification still wide open, both sides know their margin for error is slim.