Lionel Messi and Inter Miami were held to a scoreless draw against Egypt’s Al Ahly in the opening game of the Club World Cup on Saturday night.
In front of more than 60,000 fans at the Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins, Miami survived a first half onslaught by 12-time African champion Al Ahly, which was denied a potential winning goal from the penalty spot when Trézéguet’s effort was stopped by goalkeeper Oscar Ustari.
Miami had scoring chances in the second half, with Messi shaving the post with a free kick and then hitting the bar with a curling effort from long range in added time.
A draw leaves both teams with a battle to advance from Group A with tougher tests likely to come against Brazilian giant Palmeiras and Porto from Portugal. The top two advance to the round of 16.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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