Miami misses lucky punch: Club World Cup begins goalless
The Club World Cup began with a goalless draw. In the duel between Al-Ahly and Inter Miami, the two goalkeepers took center stage.
Lionel Messi also remained goalless in the opening match of the Club World Cup. IMAGO/TheNews2
So it began at Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL franchise Miami Dolphins: the "new" Club World Cup. Unlike the last edition, which took place in 2023 with seven teams, this year's tournament features a whopping 32 teams. Al-Ahly, the record winners of the Egyptian league and the African Champions League, and Inter Miami kicked off the tournament.
As the 22 field players took to the pitch for the opening ceremony, the noise level naturally rose noticeably, especially for one player: Miami captain Messi. In addition to the Argentinean superstar, Inter coach Javier Mascherano also relied on Busquets and Suarez, who once celebrated numerous titles at FC Barcelona alongside Messi – and their current coach.
Al-Ahly dominates the game from the startAfter kickoff, however, it was the Egyptians who initially set the tone both on and off the pitch. Miami goalkeeper Ustari was forced to win a one-on-one duel for the second time in the eighth minute, having already denied Abdou Mali the opening goal (5').
Even the injury-related substitution of key player Ashour (14th minute) didn't throw Al-Ahly off track; José Riveiro's team continued to work toward the long-awaited 1-0 lead. Neither Abdou Ali, who was just offside (30th minute), nor Dari, whose header Ustari parried from close range (33rd minute), could secure the lead.
Trezeguet fails from the penalty spot - Abdou Ali clearsWhile Miami's defense continued to have major problems with the opponent's busy offensive department, referee Alireza Faghani also awarded a penalty to Al-Ahly in the 41st minute: a controversial decision, which, however, had no consequences given the subsequent save by the 38-year-old Ustari.
The Egyptians' own failure to capitalize on their chances – and Ustari's – really made things difficult for them. Shortly before halftime, they were also fortunate when Abdou Ali spectacularly prevented the unexpected deficit from happening just before their own goal line (45'+2').
Miami is getting strongerAfter the restart, the game swung in Miami's favor, benefiting primarily from Messi's improved performance. After Allende had initially come close to taking the lead (51st minute), the 37-year-old fired a direct free kick into the side netting (64th minute).
Meanwhile, Al-Ahly's players seemed to be increasingly losing their strength. The Egyptians rarely created any notable chances in the second half.
Miami continued to close in on a 1-0 lead in the closing stages, but failed to break the opposing goalkeeper. Like his counterpart, El-Shenawy delivered impressive saves, not only denying Picault (85th minute), but also denying a curling shot from Messi (90th minute +6) and a header from Falcon (90th minute +8) in added time.
| stadium | Hard Rock Stadium |
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In the end, the opening game remained goalless, which, considering the overall course of the game, was certainly deserved. Al-Ahly faces Palmeiras on Thursday (6 p.m.), while Miami faces Porto a few hours later (9 p.m.).
