🎥 Messi's World Cup starts 0-0, denied by the bar and a saved penalty 🧤 | OneFootball

The FIFA Club World Cup kicked off tonight, with Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Luis Suarez's Inter Miami failing to go beyond a goalless draw against Egyptian side Al Ahly from Cairo.

It wasn't a match lacking in excitement, though: Messi created many chances for himself and his teammates, even hitting the crossbar, while the other star of the night was Argentine goalkeeper Óscar Ustari, who made several crucial saves, including a penalty stop.

Ustari, 38, was once one of the great hopes of Argentine football, winning the U20 World Cup with the Albiceleste jersey in a team that included Messi, now his teammate again.

The match was also an opportunity to see the "ref cam" in action, a camera with the referee's point of view.

Despite the presence of Messi and his former Barcelona teammates, it was the Egyptians of Al Ahly who had the best chances in the first half. Around the 30th minute, Palestinian Wessam Abou managed to score, but the goal was disallowed for offside.

The other major shock of the first half came in the 43rd minute: Venezuelan Telasco Segovia of Inter Miami tripped Zizo in the penalty area, and the referee awarded a penalty kick.

Mahmoud Trézéguét, an Egyptian legend and former Aston Villa player, took the shot, but Ustari made a great save, also managing to grab the rebound.

There was another thrill in the final minutes of the first half, when Messi tried a venomous lob, which only a backheel intervention by Al Ahly's Wessam Abou kept out of the goal.

In the second half, it was Messi's turn to shine: in the 64th minute, the Argentine seemed to have scored on a free kick, the net moved, giving the illusion of a goal, but... Messi had only hit the outside of the net.

If in the first half Ustari had been the star, in the final minutes it was Al Ahly's goalkeeper, veteran Mohamed El-Shenawy, who took the spotlight with two decisive saves: one on a header by Fafà Picault on an assist by Messi (of course) in the 85th minute.

The second save came in the 96th minute, on a long-range attempt by Messi that the Egyptian goalkeeper managed to reach and deflect onto the crossbar: it was the best chance for the Argentine, and also the final thrill of the match.

A match full of chances despite the goalless draw, with the two goalkeepers as the absolute protagonists.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.

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