As the curtain came up on a revamped 32-team Fifa Club World Cup in Miami on Saturday night, there was no doubting who the 60,927 fans at the Hard Rock Stadium had come to watch.
Such was the sea of No10 shirts filing in to observe Inter Miami’s stalemate with Egypt’s Al Ahly, you could have been forgiven for thinking it was a testimonial rather than the opening match of a global football showpiece.
At times in the build-up to the month-long tournament, eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi’s involvement had seemed to be as essential to the event’s success on American soil as the round object with which the game is played.
Inter Miami are, after all, not MLS Cup champions, but rather here as hosts and recipients of the MLS Supporters’ Shield, awarded to the team with the best regular season record.
The fans at least got what they came for – kind of.
Yes, they were treated to a standout performance from a veteran Argentine playing for the pink-jerseyed home side. Yet, it was not Miami captain Messi but rather his 38-year-old compatriot, Oscar Ustari, the second-choice goalkeeper and one-time Sunderland stopper, who took home the man of the match award.
One of five Argentines in the Miami starting line-up, Ustari was considerably busier than his more famous compatriot during a first half that could have seen the Egyptian giants run away with the tie before the smoke from the opening ceremony’s fireworks had even cleared.
As early as the sixth minute, Ahly – making their 10th Club World Cup appearance – should have gone ahead when striker Wessam Abou Ali found himself one-on-one only to see Ustari smother his tame finish. Three minutes later, an excellent first touch from Trezeguet led to another Ahly attack, this time the goalkeeper getting down well from top scorer Emam Ashour, who went off in tears soon after holding his shoulder.
Ashou was replaced by Zizo, making his debut after becoming the first player since 2013 to cross Cairo from arch rivals Zamalek.
And he almost had an instant impact when his through-ball to Abou Ali led to the Palestinian forward successfully finding Ustari’s net. This time, Ahly were foiled by an offside flag.
The 45-time Egyptian champions’ attacks might have been proving unsuccessful, but Miami and coach Javier Mascherano must have known they were riding their luck.
Tomas Aviles proved himself the luckiest man in the Hard Rock – yes, even more fortunate than the few fans who managed to snare a pre-match selfie with their idol Messi – when he took out Trezeguet while carrying a yellow card yet was allowed to stay on the field.
Referee Alireza Faghani, as if seeking balance after his show of leniency, deemed Maximiliano Falcon to have bundled over Zizo in the box when contact looked minimal.
Trezeguet took the spot-kick, but Ustari once more was too quick, diving to his right with all the speed of the giant herons that soar and plunge along the beaches of the Sunshine State.
“We had a really good chance to win today,” said midfielder Taher Mohamed. “We missed a lot of chances, so I feel like we need to focus on our finishing because in a big tournament like this, if you don’t take your chances, it’s going to be too late.
“Of course, Messi is a big player – the best player in the world – so it’s a pleasure to play against him. It was a big chance to win today, but I feel even the way we played, being so dominant, we were able to send a good message.”
The second half was a more balanced affair with Messi finding little pockets of space and finally forcing the opposition goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy into action.
Argentina’s ageing magician, returning to Fifa’s global stage for the first time since winning the World Cup three years ago in Qatar, had the vocal crowd on their feet on the hour when his curling free-kick thundered past the wrong side of the post.
And he came closer still. A 97th minute curling cross was preparing to nestle in the top corner only for El Shenawy to tip it on to the crossbar. It would prove the final notable moment of an uncharacteristically action-packed stalemate.
“Of course, I am sad after we had so many chances in the first half,” said Abou Ali. “We missed a lot of chances, including a penalty, but that’s football.
"We need to prepare now, study our next opponent, and get ready to go again. Next game we need the three points.”
Despite having to settle for a point, Mascherano heaped praise on the commitment of Messi after the game.
“It’s admirable how much love Messi has for the game,” said the Argentine of his Barcelona old teammate. “After all the matches he’s played, he’s still here, giving his all.
“Of course, we wanted to win, but I’m happy with the team’s performance today. Clearly, when we find Leo in positions and get the ball to him in the best way, that’s where we have the most options.”
Al Ahly face Brazil’s Palmeiras on Thursday, while Messi, Ustari, and Co take on Porto later that day.
