Lionel Messi leads a resilient Inter Miami comeback in Club World Cup opener, but Egypt’s Al Ahly secures a 0-0 draw.
Messi, along with his teammates, had a subdued first half at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Saturday.
Al Ahly, the Egyptian football giants, dominated the initial 45 minutes, creating several chances that were frustratingly denied by Inter’s goalkeeper Oscar Ustari.
It seemed as if Ustari’s efforts would be in vain as Al Ahly’s Trezeguet attempted a 43rd-minute penalty, but the veteran keeper once again came to the rescue.
The second half saw a marked improvement from Inter Miami, capped off with Messi hitting the bar with a long-range effort.
Al Ahly’s keeper Mohamed El Shenawy narrowly deflected Messi’s powerful left-footed shot.
El Shenawy was equally vigilant to deny Maximiliano Falcon’s header from a corner in stoppage time.
Inter’s manager Javier Mascherano credited his team’s keeper, Ustari, for keeping them in the game at halftime.
Al Ahly had several close-range opportunities, with Wessam Abou Ali and Emam Ashour being denied.
The pivotal moment came when Zizo was fouled, leading to Trezeguet’s penalty miss.
Trezeguet sent his penalty to his left, but Ustari guessed correctly and saved it.
Manager Javier Mascherano reflected on the improvement in the second half, acknowledging the dominance his team showed.
“In the first period, we lost some balls and some transitions where they were very dangerous,” Mascherano commented post-match.
“We completely dominated the second half and had the chances to win the game.”
Inter Miami’s first significant chance post-break came when Tadeo Allende’s shot was saved by Al Ahly’s keeper El Shenawy.
Once inter’s comeback was on, Messi was a constant threat, hitting the side netting with a free kick and causing problems for the Egyptian team, the world’s most successful club, with 155 trophies.
Late in the game, Messi took a short corner and struck a powerful shot towards the far post, but Al Ahly’s keeper managed to deflect it onto the bar and over.
Despite the impressive support from Egyptian fans, Al Ahly struggled to match the enthusiasm on the field.
Al Ahly’s new manager, Jose Riviera, acknowledged the chances his team had in the first half but lamented their inability to capitalize on them.
“It’s not about what went wrong. We had a decent amount of chances in the first half to change the game. We couldn’t,” Riviera commented post-match.
“In the second half, we faced a challenging period, but there were a lot of positives and areas to improve for the next match.”
The next match in Group A will be on Sunday, featuring Palmeiras of Brazil against Porto of Portugal.
Inter Miami will face Porto, and Al Ahly will take on Palmeiras in upcoming group stage fixtures on Thursday.
