Lionel Messi's Inter Miami battle to scoreless draw in Club World Cup opener
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami were held to a scoreless draw against Egypt's Al Ahly in the opening game of the Club World Cup on Saturday night.
In front of more than 60,000 fans at the Hard Rock Stadium, Miami survived a first-half onslaught by 12-time African champion Al Ahly, who was denied a potential winning goal from the penalty spot when Mahmoud Trezeguet's effort was stopped by goalkeeper Oscar Ustari.
Miami had scoring chances in the second half, with Messi shaving the post with a free kick and then hitting the bar with a curling effort from long range in added time. 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.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily ! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience FIFA Club World Cup Inter Miami CF II Lionel Messi
recommended
Get more from FIFA Club World Cup Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Inter confirm new coaching staff in full after Chivu appointment
Inter have officially confirmed their new first-team coaching set-up following the recent appointment of Cristian Chivu as head coach. Chivu was appointed head coach of the Nerazzurri just shy of a week ago, replacing Simone Inzaghi on an initial two-year contract that will run until the end of the 2026-27 season. Advertisement The 44-year-old returns to San Siro after spending the final seven seasons of his playing career with the Nerazzurri, as well as having led the club's youth teams as a coach at every level from the U14s up to the U19s. Chivu and his squad are currently in California, based at UCLA for the duration of the FIFA Club World Cup, which kicked off with a 0-0 draw between Inter Miami and Al Ahly on Saturday night. Official: Cristian Chivu appointed Nerazzurri head coach. Inter will first be in action against CF Monterrey in the early hours of Wednesday morning (BST, Tuesday night local time). Ahead of Inter's first game at the Club World Cup, Chivu gave his introductory press conference in front of the media. You can read everything he had to say here. Advertisement Chivu also confirmed his new coaching staff, which includes a return for former defender Aleksandr Kolarov, who comes in as the new Nerazzurri assistant coach. New Inter coaching staff under Chivu Official: Cristian Chivu appointed Nerazzurri head coach. Assistant: Aleksandar Kolarov First-team coach: Mario Cecchi First-team coach: Angelo Palombo Fitness coach: Stefano Rapetti Fitness coach: Maurizio Fanchini Goalkeeper coach: Gianluca Spinelli Goalkeeper coach: Paolo Orlandoni
Wall Street Journal
an hour ago
- Wall Street Journal
FIFA's $2 Billion Soccer Extravaganza Kicks Off With a Whimper
Miami Gardens, Fla. The idea of inventing a brand new global soccer tournament and putting it in America was always going to be audacious. But in creating the Club World Cup, FIFA flexed every muscle. It rounded up 32 teams, 12 venues, and over $1 billion in prize money Against all odds, it even managed to draw 61,000 fans to its opening match on Saturday night—an unlikely matchup between a plodding Inter Miami side and the Egyptian club Al Ahly. The one thing that FIFA couldn't engineer was goals. As the tournament kicked off with the first of 63 matches, the grand spectacle conceived by FIFA President Gianni Infantino had to settle for a 0-0 draw. Not even Miami's Lionel Messi, one of the Club World Cup's star attractions, could break the tie. In fact, Messi was lucky not to lose. Though he forced a couple of spectacular saves from the goalkeeper, he was in the rare position of being an underdog. Al Ahly, one of the most decorated clubs in world soccer, had the better chances to win and even had a first half penalty saved. 'I'm disappointed with the result—we could have taken all three points,' Al Ahly forward Wessam Abou Ali said. 'We respect Inter Miami and their big-name players, but we could have finished the game in the first half by scoring three or four goals.' The more significant takeaway from the evening was the surprising show of force from the Al Ahly fans. FIFA had orchestrated things so that Inter Miami could play the opener in its home city in an effort to drive up attendance. But it was the Egyptian fans who took over Hard Rock Stadium, 6,500 miles from the Nile, with red Al Ahly shirts far outnumbering Miami's pink jerseys. 'It's like we were playing in Cairo,' Al Ahly manager Jose Riveiro said. The Egyptians players won't be the only ones to feel a taste of home away from home during this tournament. While plenty of venues have seen sluggish ticket sales, it's already clear that a handful of clubs will enjoy robust traveling support. In Miami, fans of Buenos Aires-based Boca Juniors were ready to flood Hard Rock Stadium for their Monday match against Portugal's Benfica. And in New York, a merry contingent of Brazilian Palmeiras fans signaled their arrival by pouring into Times Square on Saturday ahead of their opener against Porto. FIFA is hoping for plenty more to make the trip as the tournament progresses. Beyond the U.S., the biggest markets for ticket sales have been Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico, the organization said. But not even FIFA—or perhaps Al Ahly—could have anticipated so many Egyptian supporters suddenly materializing in South Florida. 'To be in the States and have it like you were playing at home,' Riveiro said, 'is something that can probably only happen here.' Write to Joshua Robinson at
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
📸 Cristiano Ronaldo and his latest viral snap with Cristiano Jr
📸 Cristiano Ronaldo and his latest viral snap with Cristiano Jr In the midst of the Club World Cup, the recent Nations League champion continues to make headlines. Cristiano Ronaldo has gone viral on social media with the latest photo he posted alongside his son. "Like father, like son" is what Cristiano included along with the photo, in which both can be seen in top form. Advertisement Will we see Cristiano sharing the pitch with his son someday? This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here. 📸 TOBIAS SCHWARZ - AFP or licensors
