The spectacle offered by the two teams was wonderful regardless of whether any goals were scored. Also, the interest remained undiminished due to the presence of Lionel Messi, who had the appetite and the mood.

The 37-year-old Lionel Messi, in his first and probably last Club World Cup, was exceptional. In his most dangerous attempt, a free kick, the ball ended up on the crossbar.

And yet while all eyes were on him before the match, it was the goalkeepers who ultimately starred for both clubs. In the first half, Inter Miami survived waves of pressure from Al Ahly thanks to goalkeeper Oscar Ustari, who made 5 life-saving saves to keep his goal intact.

In fact, the most important save by the 38-year-old (born 3/7/1986) Argentine goalkeeper, Ustari (who was named MVP of the match) came in the 43rd minute, when Zizou won a penalty (turned over by Telasco Segovia). Ustari guessed the corner correctly, fell to the right and caught Trezeguet's penalty. He had not taken a penalty since 2022, with him eventually receiving the MVP award in the first game of the tournament.

Al Ahly, supported by thousands of their fans, needed the steady hands of goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawi to escape an equally lively second half.

The Al Ahly goalkeeper also finally saved Pico's header from close range in the 85th minute and made two more saves in stoppage time, including a magnificent effort from Lionel Messi.

And Greek Noah Allen

Meanwhile, in Javier Mascherano's starting lineup was also Greek international defender Noah Allen. The World Federation decided to give a different touch to the tournament's matches with each player being presented separately, as is the case in basketball matches.

In addition, a crossbar challenge was held at half-time with veteran players taking on the famous YouTuber “IShowSpeed”. The winner was Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero.

Inter Miami’s Argentine coach Javier Mascherano

“We were much better than them, we moved a lot in transition and controlled the game and we had chances to score and win the game. That’s football, maybe in the first half they had some chances too. Obviously we wanted to win because we know how important it is to start with a win, but I’m happy.”

The Inter Miami goalkeeper’s compatriot, Oscar Ustari

“This is more about the team than being a hero. You always have confidence. In the case of penalties, there are people behind me who always help us. I represent them on the pitch, but the work they do with us off the pitch is crucial for moments like this to happen.”

Al Ahly’s Spanish coach, José Rivero

“It’s a game of football, a game of mistakes. We had enough chances in the first half to put the game in a different space and we put them in trouble. In the second half we defended a little lower than we wanted and then we had some problems in the transitions with controlling our first pass. It’s like we’re playing in Cairo and that was a surprise for me in my first official match with Al Ahly. Being here in the US and it being like playing at home is something that can probably only happen in this.”