Al Ahly and Inter Miami ended their first match in the Club World Cup with a 0-0 draw.

The “Herons” controlled the ball in the first half, but the Egyptians created the better chances.

Wessam Abou Ali (31') even put the ball in the net of the symbolic hosts, but the goal was disallowed for offside. Twelve minutes later, the Red Devils suffered another major disappointment when Ustari saved a penalty taken by Trezeguet.

After the break, things turned around completely and the players had many more chances to open the scoring, with the big star on the pitch, Lionel Messi, at the center of the action, as expected.

The match is part of Group A and took place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.

The match kicked off shortly after 3 a.m. Bulgarian time.

Javier Mascherano, as expected, included all his big stars in the starting lineup, with the exception of Jordi Alba, who was not included in the squad for the match due to health problems. Otherwise, Lionel Messi (wearing the captain's armband), Sergio Busquets, and Luis Suárez were expected to be on the pitch from the first minute. Their opponents from Al Ahly cannot boast a star-studded lineup, with the starting lineup consisting mainly of local Egyptian players.

The only name that is slightly better known to the general public is that of 30-year-old Trezeguet, who played for Aston Villa until 2022.

As expected, the pre-match ceremony was extremely lavish, delaying the official start by about ten minutes.

The rivals did not give each other time to get to know each other and took to the field in a fighting mood, with the two teams trying completely different tactics. Javier Mascherano's boys pressed high, while the Red Devils created the clearest chances.

The Egyptians had two very dangerous counterattacks in the first half, with Emam Ashour finding himself alone against the home side's symbolic goalkeeper Oscar Ustari in the 9th minute, and Trezeguet shooting high over the goal in the 23rd minute. However, Ashour was unable to trouble the Heron's goalkeeper any further as he suffered an unfortunate injury after a heavy tackle and was forced to leave the field a quarter of an hour after the first whistle, with Zizo coming on in his place.

However, this did not prevent the Pharaohs from continuing to press for a goal, and after breaking through the opponent's defense again, Wessam Abou Ali beat Ustari. Despite the huge joy in the Egyptian camp, the goal was disallowed as the linesman raised his flag for offside.

Meanwhile, Javier Mascherano's anxiety intensified when his star player Lionel Messi was accidentally kicked in the head and the 2022 World Cup winner with Argentina collapsed on the pitch, writhing in pain for more than a minute.

The star of the “herons” once again demonstrated the unparalleled character that has been the foundation of his longevity in football, getting up without needing medical assistance and continuing the match. However, concerns for the symbolic hosts continued, and just two minutes before the end of regular time in the first half, a penalty was awarded for a rough foul by Tomás Avilés.

Oscar Ustari once again became the hero for his team, saving the penalty taken by former Aston Villa winger Trezeguet.

After the break, the Red and Whites ran out of steam and the roles were reversed. |BGNES