Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday.
Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar.
Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to take on Palmeiras in New York, where more of their fans are expected to turn up.
Photo: REUTERS
No incidents were reported at the game after about 1,000 protesters gathered in the morning near US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, about 110km north of Miami, waving placards and chanting slogans as part of coordinated nationwide “No Kings” demonstrations.
In Miami, 60,927 fans almost filled the 65,000-capacity stadium for Inter Miami’s clash with Al-Ahly, dismissing, at least on the night, concerns about the attractiveness of the tournament featuring 32 teams for the first time, a year before the FIFA World Cup in the US.
Inter Miami, whose home attendances average 20,663 in their 21,550-seat Chase Stadium, have been a major road draw this year, regularly attracting record crowds across the country since Messi’s arrival in 2023.
Adan De La Rosa travelled from Mexico just to see Messi play. “There’s a lot of excitement to see Messi, it’s the same for everyone,” he said.
Al-Ahly, backed by dozens of thousands of fans, got off to a strong start, but wasted two early chances, and Oscar Ustari parried away Trezeguet’s poorly taken penalty kick after Zizo was fouled in the box by Telasco Segovia.
Messi threatened at times after spending some time on the ground after being hit on the knee, but Miami could feel lucky not to be behind at halftime.
However, Miami stepped up a gear after the break, and Messi came close when his nicely curled 25m free-kick kissed the post and hit the side netting.
With six minutes left, the World Cup winner scooped a perfect cross for Fafa Picault, whose header was tipped over the bar by Mohamed Elshenawy.
He came an inch close in the dying second when his curled strike from outside the box was tipped onto the bar by Elshenawy.
The Club World Cup continued after press time last night with UEFA Champions League winners Paris St Germain taking on Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich playing Auckland City.
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