Lionel Messi denied late winner in Club World Cup opener

MIAMI – Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano was upbeat despite his Lionel Messi-led team drawing 0-0 with Egyptian side Al Ahly on June 14, as Fifa’s new 32-team Club World Cup got off to a smooth start in front of 60,927 fans in Florida.

Messi was denied a storybook stoppage-time winner when he saw his curling shot from 20 metres out tipped onto the bar by Mohamed El Shenawy, as Miami piled on the pressure in the final minutes of the game.

“The truth is we leave with the feeling that we could have won it in the second half,” said Mascherano.

“Going forward we have to do what we did in the second half, not have any fear, shed whatever baggage we had because when we play like that, we can play even with any team.”

Al Ahly, who were cheered on by over 10,000 of their supporters, were left to rue a first-half penalty from Egypt international Trezeguet which was saved by Miami’s Argentinian goalkeeper Oscar Ustari.

But the Egyptians also had El Shenawy to thank for another fine save in the dying seconds to keep out a header from Maxi Falcon, as Miami pushed for three points in the Group A clash.

For organiser Fifa, which has faced heavy scepticism over the necessity for the tournament, the absence of a goal was the only disappointment in a game that delivered everything else that its president Gianni Infantino had hoped for from the opening night.

Fears of a low crowd for the opener eased as seats began to fill up and the 64,000-capacity stadium became almost full at kick-off time.

Thousands of fans of Al Ahly, record 12-time African Champions League winners and 45-time league champions of Egypt, arrived at Hard Rock Stadium well ahead of kick-off and made their presence felt with singing and chanting.

The stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, witnessed chaotic scenes at the 2024 Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia with fans breaking into the venue after long delays to enter.

But there was an efficient filter system set up this time, for ticket and security checks away from the stadium perimeter, and there were no signs of any problems.

Nor was there any indication of the controversial crackdown on illegal immigrants by the United States having any impact on the game in the mostly Hispanic South Florida community.

While there were no goals to celebrate, the game was far from boring, with Al Ahly enjoying the better of the first half before Miami improved significantly after the break.

Messi went close in the 64th minute with a free kick which grazed the post before hitting the side-netting, tricking part of the crowd into thinking he had scored.

He nearly did in stoppage time, after a well-worked short-corner but the outstretched finger tip of El Shenawy was to deny him.

Miami face Porto in Atlanta on June 19 before returning home to face Brazil’s Palmeiras on June 23.

Al Ahly’s Spanish coach Jose Riveiro, who took charge of the team just for this tournament, said his side should have finished the game off in the first half.

“It’s a game of mistakes. We had a decent amount of chances in the first half to put the game in a different space,” he said before praising their fans.

“It was like we were playing in Cairo and that was a surprise for me in my first official match with Al Ahly. To be here in the States and have it like you were playing at home is something that can probably only happen in this club.” AFP