Inter Miami navigated several crises to earn a precious point in the opening match of the Club World Cup.
Inter Miami (United States) played to a 0-0 draw against Al Ahly SC (Egypt) in the Group A opener of the FIFA Club World Cup held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, on the 15th at 9 a.m. (Korean time).
As a result, Miami, which was evaluated as the 'weakest team in the group,' managed to secure a valuable point. Al Ahly, sharing the points, created eight shots on target but failed to score.
Inter Miami set up in a 4-4-2 formation. Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi were placed at the front, while Telasco Segovia, Sergio Busquets, Federico Redondo, and Tadeo Ayende held the midfield. Noah Allen, Maximiliano Falcon, Thomas Abiles, and IAAN formed the back four. The goal was defended by Oscar Ustari.
Al Ahly lined up in a 4-3-3 formation. Trezeguet, Wessam Abu Ali, and Emam Ashour started at the front, while Hamdi Fathi, Marwan Attiah, and Mohamed Ali Ben Romdane filled the midfield. Ahmed Kouka, Yasser Ibrahim, Ashraf Dari, and Mohamed Hani formed the back four. The goalkeeper gloves were worn by Mohamed El Shenawy.
Al Ahly had the first opportunity five minutes into the match. Receiving an exquisite pass from a teammate, Al Ahly rushed in and faced the goalkeeper one-on-one, taking a right-footed shot. However, goalkeeper Ustari saved it.
Once again, Al Ahly created a good chance. In the 8th minute, Ashour received a pass from Trezeguet and created a similar scene to Al Ahly's previous opportunity, shooting with his right foot, but again Ustari made the save.
In the 14th minute, Al Ahly faced a misfortune. The team's ace, Ashour, complained of an injury and was ultimately substituted for Zizo.
It seemed that Al Ahly would score first. In the 30th minute, Ali received a through pass from behind and immediately connected with a sharp shot, shaking the net, but an offside was called.
Al Ahly swallowed their disappointment again. In the 33rd minute, Ibrahim connected a header from a cross that came in from the right side, but once again, Ustari recorded a save.
Al Ahly had a golden opportunity. In the 42nd minute, amid Miami's chaotic atmosphere, Zizo earned a penalty kick, with Trezeguet stepping up as the kicker. Trezeguet calmly took the shot, but Ustari read it perfectly and blocked it.
This time, Miami aimed to score. In the 45th minute, Messi received the ball right in front of the box and took a left-footed shot, but it deflected and resulted in a corner kick. The corner taken by Messi from the right side headed directly towards the goal but was blocked.
The first half concluded with a score of 0-0.
In the 6th minute of the second half, Inter Miami wasted a golden opportunity. Taking advantage of a defensive mistake, Ayende attempted a shot right in front of the goal, but goalkeeper El Shenawy barely caught it.
Miami had a good chance. In the 19th minute, they gained a free kick from a somewhat distant position just outside the box, with Messi taking the kick. Messi took a sharp left-footed shot but grazed the post, shaking the side net.
After gaining momentum in the second half, Miami created another opportunity. In the 30th minute, Suárez received the ball in the box and took a right-footed shot, but it was blocked by the defense.
Miami was left disappointed. In the 35th minute, a cross delivered from the left by Messi was met with a powerful header from Papa Pico, but goalkeeper El Shenawy made a dramatic save.
Five minutes of added time were given in the second half. In the final moments of the match, Messi took a powerful left-footed shot from a distance aiming for a direct goal, but El Shenawy saved it again. The ball hit his hands and struck the crossbar before going out. Following the corner kick, Suárez handled it, and Falcon attempted a header, but El Shenawy saved it once more. Al Ahly immediately countered but was halted.
The match concluded with a score of 0-0.
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