Argentine star Lionel Messi showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al Ahly, as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday.
Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the Miami Dolphins. Al Ahly, backed by dozens of thousands of fans, got off to a strong start but wasted two early chances.
A penalty kick was awarded to Al Ahly after Zizo was fouled in the box by Telasco Segovia. But Oscar Ustari parried away Trezeguet’s poorly taken penalty kick. 0-0!!
Messi threatened at times after spending some time on the ground after being hit on the knee, but Miami could feel lucky not to be behind at halftime.
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Inter Miami, however, stepped up a gear after the break, and Messi came close when his nicely curled 25-metre free kick kissed the post and hit the side netting.
With six minutes left, the Messi scooped a perfect cross for Fafa Picault, whose header was tipped over the bar by Mohamed Elshenawy. He came an inch close in the dying second when his curled strike from outside the box was tipped onto the bar by Elshenawy.
Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, will take on Palmeiras in New York, where more of their fans are expected to turn up.
The FIFA Club World Cup continues on Sunday with UEFA Champions League winners Paris St Germain taking on Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich facing Auckland City.
No incidents were reported at the game after around 1,000 protesters gathered in the morning near US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, about 70 miles (110 km) north of Miami.
In Miami, 60,927 fans almost filled the 65,000-capacity stadium for Inter Miami’s clash with Al Ahly dismissing, at least on the night, concerns about the attractiveness of the tournament featuring 32 teams for the first time, a year before the World Cup in the US.