Al Ahly 0-0 Inter Miami Player Ratings: Lionel Messi's side Start Their FIFA Club World Cup Campaign With a Goalless Draw

The opening game of the FIFA Club World Cup between Al Ahly and Inter Miami ended as a goalless draw at the Hard Rock Stadium after some outstanding performances from both the goalkeepers. Oscar Ustari saved multiple shots in the first half, including a penalty, while El Shenawy was brilliant in the second half, keeping the Inter Miami forwards at bay. He pulled a great save after an amazing curling effort from Lionel Messi. It was essentially a two-part story, with Miami taking control of the second half after the Egyptian giants dominated the first. However, a pivotal moment of quality never materialised, and the teams made do with what may be a compromise.

Al Ahly had a strong start to the game, creating good chances and putting Lionel Messi-led Inter Miami under pressure, but Sergio Busquets and Noah Allen were active enough to see out all the threats. Abou Ali got a through ball in the final third and ran into the box, but he failed to beat the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation, and then the linesman raised the flag for offside. Al Ahly looked to have done its homework really well, as it stopped every through ball from Miami, forcing it to return to a defensive-heavy low block.

Abou Ali got another through ball, and this time he made no mistake in beating Ustari and putting the ball into the net. The stadium erupted, thinking it was the opening goal of the game, but the linesman played spoilsport by raising the offside flag and chalking the goal out. Ali has been a threat for the Miami defenders as he took a free kick after Trezeguet was fouled in front of the box. Ustari made a good save for a corner, and the shot was on target. Ustari denied the visitors a certain goal with another save, this time a better and faster one, after the ensuing corner was headed on target.

The referee indicated where Zizo had been pulled down in the box around the 40th minute. Trezeguet took the penalty kick, aiming for the top-left corner with a right-footed strike. However, Ustari responded to it with equal skill, preventing Al Ahly from breaking the tie with yet another save.

Miami came close to scoring with their first clear chance in the half as Suarez dinked the ball to keep it on target. But Abou Ali, the forward, came to Al Ahly’s rescue, clearing the ball off the line with a goal-line clearance.

At the start of the second half, Miami came close to scoring again. This time, Allende shot on target, and Dari and El Shenawi combined to ensure the ball did not go past them. The goalkeeper made himself bigger while the defender closed off any space on the right. Inter Miami continued their momentum and caused problems for Al Ahly, but Shenawy was too brilliant for them to let the ball in the net.

During the stoppage time Messi decided to take a rabbit out of his hat as he received a corner kick and whipped in a left-footed shot, aiming for the top-right corner. El Shenawi made a spectacular save to deny a potential winner.

Let's have a look at the player ratings for both the sides.

Al Ahly Player Ratings vs Inter Miami

Goalkeeper

Mohamed El Shenawy: 7.5/10

The keeper didn't have much to do in the first half, but was crucial in saving some shots on target, which might have turned the tables in favour of the hosts.

Defenders

Mohamed Hany: 6.7/10

He was a dominant force in today's defence. Inter Miami was unable to gain an edge in the game because of his decisive challenge. Despite being given the all-clear to proceed, he performed his defensive duties effectively.

Achraf Dari: 6.5/10

Achraf Dari's poise in the back was outstanding. The Morocco international led the line with his calm and authoritative presence and gave it his all in today's defence.

Yasser Ibrahim: 6.3/10

Had a good game at central defence. Kept up a strong defensive line and used deft passing to escape the Inter Miami onslaught and start counterattacks.

Ahmed Kouka: 6.5/10

The player contributed well in defence and attack. He also maintained a good passing across the field as handled the threat of Segovia well with composure.

Midfielders

Marwan Attia: 6.7/10

Whether the squad sought to advance or backpedalled to defend, he remained composed and looked good. While Inter Miami held the midfield in the second half, he was moving the ball more fluidly in the first half.

Mohamed Romdhane: 6.5/10

The Tunisian midfielder had a good game playing on the right side of the midfield. He carved out good attacks for the Egyptian side but they were no able to find the back of the net.

Hamdi Fathi: 6.3/10

Since the midfielder didn't see much of the ball in the second half, he had a mediocre game. Although he made a few nice crosses in the box, he was easily dealt with.

Attackers

Eman Ashour: N/A.

The player had to leave the pitch with tears after he injured himself, which looked like a dislocated shoulder. He tried continuing the game with that injury but eventually failed and had to be subbed off.

Wessam Abou Ali: 6.1/10

The second half was quiet for him. Nevertheless, Al Ahly's forwards first converted a number of the Palestinian's excellent deliveries in the box.

Mahmoud Trezeguet: 6.8/10

The player got multiple good opportunities to give his team the lead but failed. He also missed an opportunity from the spot as Ostari saved but also his rebound shot was too easy for the Inter Miami goalkeeper to latch on to.

Substitutes

Zizo: 6.3/10

He was subbed on in place of injured Ashour around the 22nd minute of the game. He looked bright as he ran into Inter Miami's defenders from the left side of the pitch and created chances.

Taher Mohamed: 5.8/10

The player came on in place of Trezeguet around the 61st minute to directly slot in on the left side of the pitch.

Hussein Al Shahat: 6.0/10

The attacking midfielder came on to replace Ben Romdhane to help the team carve out a result from the first game of the Club World Cup.

Mohammed Afsha: N/A.

Nejc Gradisar: N/A.

Manager

Jose Riveiro: 6.7/10

He would be disappointed with the way his team wasted chances of scoring in the game. He did his homework well to catch Inter Miami off guard in transitions and lead through from the centre of the defence.

Inter Miami Player Ratings vs Al Ahly

Goalkeeper

Oscar Ustari: 8.5/10

The Argentinian goalkeeper has been the star for Inter Miami in this game, making crucial saves, and he is the reason why Javier Mascherano's side remained goalless.

Defenders

Ian Frey: 6.7/10

For thirty minutes, he was outrun and outmatched, but they eventually settled in. He made a valuable contribution in the second half as Inter Milan's onslaught appeared to be fierce.

Noah Allen: 6.4/10

Al Ahly had very little to offer down his wing, therefore it was a clean performance on the left.

Maximiliano Falcon: 6.2/10

In the first half, he made errors, and the Al Ahly forwards were too good for him, but slowly he gained composure in the game and was very solid in the second half. His passing was woeful throughout the game.

Tomas Aviles: 6.3/10

The defender must consider himself lucky to be on the pitch after a poor tackle despite being on a yellow card, and Mascherano took no chances with him, substituting him at the beginning of the first half.

Midfielders

Federico Redondo: 6.5/10

He and Allende were unable to establish early control in the middle. He still presented a serious danger with the ball, though, even after losing the midfield match against Al Ahly.

Tadeo Allende: 6.0/10

It wasn't his greatest performance. went off without having much of an effect and didn't really get engaged until after the break.

Sergio Busquets: 6.3/10

Former Barcelona midfielder had a normal game, orchestrating the midfield at the centre of the park. He failed to stop Al Ahly's transitions, which led Inter Miami to trouble multiple times.

Telasco Segovia: 5.8/10

The attacking midfielder had a couple of shots on goal, but he was not brave enough to challenge Al Ahly's goalkeeper. His foul on Zizo led to the penalty in the first half, which was well saved by his team's goalkeeper, Ustari.

Attackers

Luis Suarez: 6.1/10

He would have liked to be more involved, but he was not. He was supposed to put on a nice display, but the Al Ahly defence had the answers for him.

Lionel Messi: 7.4/10

As usual, he appeared to be the main man with the ability to make the crucial pass in the closing third and the most promising player in the Inter Miami team. But that didn't work out for him.

Substitutes

Marcelo Weigandt: 6.0/10

The defender was brought on in the second half to control Al Ahly's turnovers and provide stability in the backline. He came on in place of Tomas Aviles.

Benjamin Cremaschi: 6.2/10

The midfielder came on to replace Telasco Segovia around the 70th minute of the game as Mascherano sought options to get the opening goal in the tie.

Fabrice Picault: N/A.

Manager

Javier Mascherano: 6.9/10

His team had a good game in the second half. Saw his team suffer a severe beating in the first half. He would believe that his team deserved three points since they had a far better performance in the second half.

Sportsdunia Player of the Match: Oscar Ustari