The 2025 Club World Cup opener began with a vibrant pregame ceremony, plenty of fan euphoria, David Beckham in the stands, and global icon Lionel Messi taking the field.
It ended with a scoreless draw that showcased a battle of veteran goalkeepers.
Inter Miami and Al Ahly opened the Club World Cup and Group A play by battling to a tense 0-0 stalemate at Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida on Saturday night.
Starting goalkeepers Oscar Ustari and Mohamed El Shenawy were the standouts, as they each bossed a half by turning away a barrage of chances.
"I think (El Shenawy) along with Oscar in the first half were the top performers," said Inter Miami striker Luis Suarez.
"That is what the goalkeepers are for, and that can serve to get you important points."
Ustari, 38, recorded eight saves for Inter Miami while the 36-year-old El Shenawy made five for Al Ahly.
The biggest of them all may have come from the MLS side's shot-stopper, though.
A 43rd-minute penalty kick from forward Mahmoud Trezeguet was crucially denied by Ustari, who dove to his own right to parry the Egyptian's driven, mid-range effort.
Key moments 🔑 🧤from @OscarUstari Watch the @fifacwc | June 14 - July 13 | Every game. Free. | https://t.co/i0K4eUu4lJ | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld pic.twitter.com/gqhiUscguyJune 15, 2025
The spot kick was awarded after Inter Miami midfielder Telasco Segovia brought down Ahmed 'Zizo' Sayed in the 18-yard box.
"The reality is that Oscar kept us alive in the first half," said Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano.
"Not only with the penalty save but with two or three other stops that impeded them from finding the opener."
While Ustari shone brightest during the opening 45 minutes, El Shenawy stepped into the spotlight in the closing stanza to make sure Messi and Co. did not prevail.
El Shanawy dove and soared to deny Inter Miami of a winner, including during a late push from the hosts.
REF CAM 🎥Mohamed El-Shenawy's big save 👀Watch the @FIFACWC | June 14 - July 13 | Every Game | Free | https://t.co/i0K4eUtwwb | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld pic.twitter.com/00I7ZS3YlXJune 15, 2025
One of those blocks came deep in stoppage time on a potent Messi curler bound for the top left corner.
El Shanawy reacted just in time, retreating superbly to paw the stinging shot up off the crossbar.
Al Ahly's No. 1 immediately followed that up with a great reflex save on the ensuing corner kick, pushing away a Maximiliano 'Peluca' Falcon header. Inter Miami substitute Fabrice 'Fafa' Picault was also thwarted on a bouncing nodded attempt minutes earlier.
The goalkeepers may have been the stars of the night with their impressive parries, but another key moment in the match came via a controversial call in the first half.
Inter Miami centerback Tomas 'Toto' Aviles could have been given a second yellow card in the 39th minute for arriving very late on a crunching slide tackle on Trezeguet. Iranian-Australian referee Alireza Faghani decided, however, to give the Argentine defender a final warning instead of his marching orders.
The decision was met with a chorus of boos because while Inter Miami was officially the home team, Hard Rock Stadium was painted in Al Ahly red.
The Egyptian club's fervent fans made up the majority of the announced crowd of 60,927 fans in attendance, with the Al Ahly faithful belting chants from the opening minutes that reverberated loudly. A deafening hush fell over the stadium in the 35th minute, as Messi suffered an injury scare to his right knee following a clearance in Al Ahly's defensive third.
Messi eventually got back up to quell fears, and started finding more of the game after halftime.
The Argentine's improved involvement helped Inter Miami gain more control while Al Ahly began to tire in the humid Florida conditions. The African outfit's attack was subsequently nullified in large part, opening the door for Messi and his teammates to test El Shenawy.
Messi forced El Shenaway into action in the 56th minute, using one-touch passing to spark a lightning attack in transition. It ended with a tame Messi shot that the Al Ahly netminder was all over.
Messi again tried opening the scoring with a clever free kick in the 64th minute, hitting a low curler that took a bounce before hitting the side-netting. Inter Miami kept piling on the pressure, but El Shenawy refused to give up the winner much in the same way that Ustari did in the first half.
“Good performances from both (goalkeepers)," Al Ahly manager Jose Riveiro said.
"They both managed to showcase their talent as experienced goalkeepers."
Inter Miami and Al Ahly will return to action for the second round of Group A games in four days.
The MLS team will square off with Portuguese power FC Porto at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
Al Ahly and Palmeiras will battle earlier on Thursday at MetLife Stadium in the New York/New Jersey area.
