After much suspicion from the media and especially fans in Europe, the Club World Cup in the United States opened with a perfect scenario for Gianni Infantino, who witnessed an eventful match between Inter Miami and Al Ahly, with more than 60,000 fans in attendance at the Hard Rock Stadium.
The clash that opened the FIFA tournament in Group A was marked mainly by a very aggressive Al Ahly in the first half. The Egyptians didn't shy away from Lionel Messi and took the lead in attack, but goalkeeper Ustari made at least three great saves and became the main name of the game during the first 45 minutes.
Al-Ahly's speedy attacking transition caught the eye, while Javier Mascheranno's side once again struggled with a slow defensive transition, a problem that has often been the case in MLS games this season. As expected, Ávilla and Falcón suffered greatly from the marking of Trezeguet and Abou.
Another highlight during the first half was defender Achraf Dari, who had two very dangerous chances that were saved by Ustari. Abou went on to score the first goal of the Club World Cup, but an offside ended up canceling out the historic feat. Inter Miami's only chance before the break came through Allende, but Abou prevented the scoreline from being overturned.
Inter Miami improved in the second half and Messi almost scored the winner
Unlike the domination they suffered in the first 45 minutes, Inter Miami improved a lot during the second half with notable tactical adjustments. On the stroke of half-time, Allende had the chance to score from a free-kick in the box, but his firm shot was parried by El Shenawy. On the other hand, Al Ahly didn't have the same assertiveness on the counter-attacks, being more inaccurate and suffering from Inter Miami's blocks.
Previously the target of relentless marking, Lionel Messi also stood out offensively during the second half with very precise passes, extremely dangerous shots, short dribbles and two shots that took the breath away from the Inter Miami fans, including one that hit the post in stoppage time. In the last move, Suárez took a corner kick and Falcón deflected it past the defender and El Shenawy to secure a goalless draw.
Considering the chances they wasted in the second half, Inter Miami can consider themselves sad that they couldn't come away with a win. All the North American team can do is hope for a draw between Palmeiras and Porto.