Goalkeeper Oscar Ustari (39, Miami), who saved Inter Miami from crisis, was selected as the Man of the Match (MOM) for the club's World Cup opening game.

Inter Miami (USA) drew 0-0 against Al Ahly SC (Egypt) in the first match of Group A of the FIFA Club World Cup USA 2025 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, on 15th at 9 a.m. (Korean time).

With this, Miami, evaluated as the 'weakest team in the group,' earned a valuable point. Al Ahly, sharing the points, failed to score despite creating eight effective shots.

Miami had Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez starting, but they failed to show decisiveness in attack, and it was none other than 38-year-old veteran goalkeeper Oscar Ustari who saved the team from crisis.

From the early stages of the match, Miami struggled against Al Ahly's relentless assault. In the 5th and 8th minutes, they gave critical one-on-one opportunities to Al Ahly's Emam Ashour and Wesam Abu Ali, but Ustari saved them all. Notably, in the 42nd minute of the first half, he read and saved a penalty kick from Trezeguet, rescuing the team from a crisis of conceding goals.

In the second half, Miami regained momentum. Ayende, Messi, Suárez, and Pico consecutively attempted shots, but they were all stopped by opponent goalkeeper El Shenawy's series of saves. Messi's sharp free kicks, a long-range shot during stoppage time, and Pico's header all failed to result in goals.

Ustari recorded at least eight saves in the game, including a penalty kick, and played as Miami's 'hidden hero,' ultimately helping the team secure an unexpected point and finish their first match without conceding a goal.

In fact, Ustari was evaluated as a 'weakness' for Miami in this tournament. Ustari, who first made a name for himself as Argentina’s starting goalkeeper at the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup, marked the beginning of a brilliant career by winning a gold medal with the Argentina U-23 team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Afterwards, he played for Getafe and Almería in Spain's La Liga and Sunderland in the Premier League, gaining experience on the European stage but not achieving explosive growth as expected. He has also been evaluated as lacking basic skills and focus.

However, he showcased his best performance in this match and was selected as MOM by fan vote.

Of course, from the perspective of Al Ahly's goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy, the result may be disappointing. The reason is that the MOM vote was conducted and closed before the end of the match. El Shenawy demonstrated top-level saves, stopping all of Miami's final offensive onslaught.

Meanwhile, after the match, MLS evaluated on their official website: 'The hero who saved the team in this match was 38-year-old veteran goalkeeper Ustari. In the opening match of Group A of the tournament, Ustari made a remarkable performance with an impressive eight saves. Notably, the scene where he blocked Trezeguet's penalty kick in the 43rd minute of the first half was a highlight among highlights.'

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