New Delhi: 

Al Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy capped off a brilliant outing between the sticks by denying Lionel Messi in the stoppage time to help his team play out a goalless draw against Inter Miami in the opening match of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Sunday.

Despite the lack of goals in the opener, the tournament got off to an exciting start with a thrilling clash between the two teams.

Messi leads Inter Miami’s comeback:

After a quiet first half, Messi and Inter Miami found some momentum. A long-range effort from the Argentine maestro struck the bar before a free kick touched the side netting. Messi came close to scoring again when a curling effort from him hit the bar. In the dying moments of the game, Al Ahly keeper Shenawy saved a late left-footed curler from Messi.

The last few minutes of the game saw end-to-end football from both sides as they went all out in search of an opener. However, both keepers held their nerves under pressure to keep a respective, clean sheet with the game ending a draw.

Both Al Ahly and Inter Miami had their fair share of chances across the two halves, but both teams failed to break the deadlock, thanks to exceptional goalkeeping performances on both ends. Messi hit the post and the crossbar, but failed to find the back of the net as he drew a blank despite leading his team’s resurgence in the second half after a sluggish start.

The match saw a see-saw battle between the two teams as both dominated the proceedings in phases. While Al Ahly were comfortably the better side for the first 45 minutes, Messi helped Inter Miami make a comeback in the second half. However, none of them managed to find the back of the net.

Al Ahly dominated possession in the first half and came close to taking the lead on several occasions after creating multiple good chances. However, Argentine goalkeeper Oscar Ustari kept Inter Miami in the game with some exceptional saves in the first half. Ustari denied Emam Ashour from a close range before pulling off a brilliant penalty save.

Telasco Segovia’s foul on Zizo earned Al Ahly a penalty in the 42nd minute, and Egyptian star Trezeguet stepped up to take it. However, his shot was saved by Ustari, who pulled off a huge save to keep Inter Miami alive in the contest. The MLS side, led by Messi, produced a much better performance in the second half.

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