The 0 to 0 is usually a frustrating result in football.
It occurs at the opening of the 1st Supermundial Clubs – which here in Brazil is being called the Club World Cup and that FIFA continues to call the club World Cup – gains a worse negative dimension.
(Supermundial, I write, because, for the first time, along the lines of the World Cup of selections played from 1998 to 2022, with 32 participants; the latest FIFA Club World Cup, held in 2023, had seven teams.)
For history, it will always be a 0-0. But that the story is not unfair and record that the game played in Florida on June 14, 2025, between Inter Miami and Al Ahly, from Egypt, was very good for those who appreciate not only goals.
The dynamics of the match pleased, and the opponents provided a good show for the 60,927 viewers – mostly seemed to cheer for the Egyptians – who were at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, and also to those who saw the duel on TV (or computer, or mobile).
In the confrontation that had on one side a team founded only seven years ago, starring stars Messi and Suárez, and on the other a centenary team (is from 1907) and the largest winner of the Champions of Africa (12 titles, and so called “The Real Madrid African”), the goalkeepers shone.
In the first half, who closed the goal was the Argentine Ustari, from Inter Miami, who defended face to face kick, header head and even penalty, beaten tightly by Treézéguet. Difficult defenses, especially head finish.
In the second half, the team that played at home improved a lot, and who worked was El Shenawy, goalkeeper of the Egyptian team (64 games since 2018) and captain of Al Ahly.
There were four “impossible” defenses: face to face kick, burn header (defended with the forehead), another short-distance header, from Fafà Picault (the bid reminded me Pelé and Gordon Banks in the 1970 World Cup), and a kick from the area and curved, by Messi, in which there was still help from the lock-this one better the world.
Detail for the age of each.
Ustari, Olympic champion in Beijing-2008 (in a suartime that had Messi, Di María, Riquelme and Mascherano, who is the current coach of Inter Miami), is 38 years old. El Shenawy is 36.
Both veterans and with reflections of envy to a much goalkeeper of 20 years.
The most important here is the team, not being the hero
Thus, were it not for these interventions – there are not so complicated, on both sides – the score would have been Inter Miami 4 x 3 Al Ahly, to the delirium of the ball enthusiasts on the network, that is, all of us.
It should be noted that the two rivals, which will still face Palmeiras in the supermundial, insistently tried to leave scratch.
According to FIFA, Inter Miami finished 15 times (7 in the goal), and Al Ahly, 10 (8 in goal, impressive 80% of target targets). Added, 25 attempts, more than the total number of fouls, 21, which strengthens the impression of a nice match.
But although the attacks tried and tried, the hot and damp night (but without rain) in Greater Miami went from goalkeepers, and the net only shook when Messi took a foul where the ball touched her outside and when the northern spring wind gave the air of his grace.
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