Key events
68 min: It’s an Al Ahly free kick from considerable distance, and they opt to control the ball rather than blast it forward.
Weigandt eludes a challenge to bring the ball forward for Inter. That was a nice substitution by Mascherano.
66 min: Joe Pearson offers wi-fi connection advice. Are tariffs involved?
65 min: Substitutions for Al-Ahly, and Trezeguet leaves the game. His impact dropped after a superb 30 minutes, but this says “OK, we’ll take a draw” to me. Ben Romdhane also leaves. Tater Mohamed and Hussein El Shahat come in.
And it’s the latter taking a quick shot. It’s not the easiest of saves, but with Ustari’s form tonight, that’s not going in.
63 min: OK, call it 25. The crowd, which was sleepy at the beginning of this half, is chanting “MESSI!” He goes for a low shot along the ground, curls it around the wall and finds the net!
The outside of the net.
Oh my, that was close.
62 min: It’s a typical Miami evening, which means a lot of players have to be exhausted from the heat and humidity at this point. Subs will be crucial.
Messi draws a free kick about 22 yards out.
61 min: As Messi lines up a corner kick, an Al Ahly fan (and there are a lot of them here, despite the various concerns over security presences that could make foreign fans uncomfortable) waves a Barcelona flag. Conflicted.
60 min: Weigandt sneaks forward from the backline and should’ve done better with his shot from 12 yards out. It streaks over the bar.
Still 0-0, but Inter have been much better this half.
59 min: During my brief 90 seconds with no wi-fi, Ustari made another superb save on a long-range, possibly deflected shot.
55 min: Al Ahly taking their time now. The center backs still look vulnerable to a through ball, but the Egyptian side aren’t trying it for now.
53 min: El Shenawy runs well out of his box toward the sideline to clear the ball out and has to sprint back before Inter take the throw-in and attack.
As brightly as Inter finished the first half, they’ve been even better in the second.
51 min: It’s a harmless outswinging corner from Messi, but Inter regain control, the Al Ahly defense fumble a clearance attempt, and …
BIG SAVE BY EL SHENAWY on Allende. Point-blank range near the top of the 6-yard box, and the keeper was just enough of a presence to block the quick shot.
50 min: Ustari plays the ball long down the right flank, and Miami get possession. They switch flanks and earn a corner kick.
48 min: Now Al Ahly connect a lot of passes in their own half. How long until they go over the top again and test the reconstituted Inter …
Oh, now. They play to Trezeguet, but he’s not given much space and sends a harmless shot wide.
46 min: Inter connect a lot of passes within 10 yards of the midfield stripe.
Second half is about to start, and Inter make a smart move – Tomas Aviles, who was very lucky to finish the first half without seeing red (and not just Al Ahly’s shirts), will depart. Marcelo Weigandt comes in.
Kieran McKintosh writes: “Huh. After that first half, perhaps Messi won’t want to go up against a team from the EPL. Never thought I’d be typing that sentence. I imagine Man City, even in their questionable last season, would absolutely steamroller this lot-especially with pocket rocket Cherki now in their ranks.”
Well, yeah. I don’t think many people around MLS are under any illusions that the league’s clubs could avoid relegation if dropped into England’s Premier League.
It’s tempting to say they might not avoid relegation in Egypt’s Premier League, but it’s worth remembering how strong this Al Ahly side are.
Halftime: Al Ahly 0-0 Inter Miami
Penalty saves can sometimes change the momentum of the game, and Inter desperately needed something. The last five minutes of the half were much better for the MLS side than the preceding 43.
It was the striker, incidentally, Abou Ali who acrobatically hit an overhead kick to keep the ball from Allende.
45 min +2: An olimpico attempt for Messi? Punched clear, but barely. Messi draws about five defenders and gets it to the other side of the area. It’s lofted into the air and lands just away from Allende, who has raced within three yards of the goal while the keeper has gone missing. Big defensive challenge to keep Allende from scoring against the run of play.
45 min +1: Hey, it’s another Messi sighting! He turns and unleashes a shot that deflected for a corner. Now Inter’s xG might be 0.2 or so.
The corner isn’t cleared well, and it’s played back in for … another corner.
45 min: As a reminder, the score is 0-0.
The xG, on the other hand, has to be something like 2-0.01 in Al Ahly’s favor.
SAVE BY USTARI!
This is a goalkeeping performance for the ages from Inter’s Argentine keeper. He holds his ground as Trezeguet pauses his run-up, then moves right to punch Trezeguet’s shot back to him. Then he returns to his feet to keep Trezeguet from slotting in the rebound.
Penalty to Al Ahly.
It was a weak pass from Redondo that was picked off, and Segovia trips Zizo in the penalty area.
39 min: Now it’s El Shenawy’s turn to show his goalkeeping prowess, as he punches clear from Messi’s free kick into traffic.
Al Ahly go the other way, and Tomas Aviles hacks down Trezeguet. Aviles is already on a yellow. This should be a second, but our referee is forgiving. For now.
38 min: Center holds it … holds it …
Busquets plays long to Fray, who is not running. Busquets raises a hand in apology.
Ball to Messi, and he’s clipped from behind by Attia. Messi wants a yellow card, and he has a case.
35 min: Ustari races out of the penalty area to clear a long ball, but the bigger concern here is that an Al Ahly player’s follow-through landed hard into the inside of Messi’s leg before that ball was played.
He’ll stay in the game, though.
It’s nearly 30 degrees Celsius, and the humidity is in the 60s. Little wonder Al-Ahly’s players’ shirts are clinging to their bodies, drenched in sweat.
34 min: Inter play over the top to Allende, who promptly loses it.
The best player for Inter in this half, but a considerable margin, is the goalkeeper Ustari.
We get a replay of the header off the corner kick. How did Ustari keep that out?
33 min: WHAT A SAVE by Ustari at point-blank range as Inter again fail to defend properly off a set piece, this time a corner kick. Dari was the player who got onto the ball and directed it on frame with considerable venom.
31 min: Another yellow card, as Redondo slides in from behind and clips an attacker. Abou Ali lines up the free kick from 25 …
… and Ustari has to tip it over the bar!
Good thing for Inter that it was straight down the middle. One foot either way, and that’s a goal.
GOOOOOAL if it stands
Oh no … this might. Abou Ali was behind Falcon, but did another player keep him on?
Apparently not, because we’re already playing again.
29 min: Inter with a sustained possession, and while the time of possession stat lies more than most statistics, it’s better than chasing after Al Ahly players racing toward goal.
