Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and Egypt’s Al Ahly battle to scoreless draw in Club World Cup opener
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi was denied a sensational late winner as Inter Miami had to settle for a 0-0 draw against Egypt’s Al Ahly in the opening game of the Club World Cup on Saturday night.
Argentina’s eight-time Ballon d’Or winner looked set to provide a stunning finish in front of a crowd of more than 60,000, whipping a curling long shot towards the top corner in the sixth minute of added time. But he was denied his moment of glory as Al Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed Elshenawy pushed the ball onto the crossbar. Messi also shaved the post with a free kick earlier in the second half.
Miami had its own good fortune, surviving a first-half onslaught by 12-time African champion Al Ahly, with goalkeeper Oscar Ustari saving a penalty from Trezeguet just before the break.
KEY MOMENT
Miami had to rely on veteran Argentine goalkeeper Ustari to keep the game level in the first half, with the 38-year-old pulling off a number of saves as Al Ahly dominated the chances. He produced a crucial double save just before halftime — blocking Trezeguet’s 43rd-minute penalty and then getting up quickly to deny the forward again on the rebound.
TAKEAWAYS
A draw leaves both teams with a battle to advance from Group A with tougher tests likely to come against Brazilian giant Palmeiras and Porto from Portugal. The top two advance to the round of 16.
Miami can be encouraged by its performance in the second half after being dominated in the first half. Inter Miami had the better chances after the break, with Messi’s free kick and curling long shot both hitting the woodwork.
WHAT THEY SAID
“It was a good party for football. It’s a new competition and the chance to play teams we don’t play normally in our league, so it can be very good for us. You can prove what we can do.” – Javier Mascherano, Inter Miami coach.
“I’m disappointed with the result. We could have taken all three points. We respect Inter Miami and their big-name players, but we could’ve finished the game in the first half by scoring three or four goals.” — Wessam Abou Ali, Ah Ahly forward.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer