The Pressure Is On Lionel Messi After Inter Miami’s Missed Opportunity

Inter Miami CF and Lionel Messi walked off the Hard Rock Stadium pitch with a scoreless draw, albeit an entertaining one, against Al Ahly in the opening match of the FIFA Club World Cup on Saturday night.

In many ways, the result had to feel like a loss to the Major League Soccer team because Miami and Lionel Messi were playing only 30 miles down the road from their home field, Chase Stadium, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Both teams recorded one point each, avoiding a dreaded loss in the first game of a three-match group stage series.

Many teams that lose their first game are halfway out the door of the tournament. In a short series, it is difficult to pick up lost points, especially against quality opposition in the FIFA Club World Cup.

It should be noted that Messi, who has won three earlier and smaller editions of this competition with Barcelona (2009, 2011, 2015), has never been on a team that has been eliminated in the group stage of a major FIFA tournament. Messi also was a key member of the Argentina side that captured the 2022 World Cup.

A frustrating night for everyone

Like it or not, the pressure now falls on the 37-year-old forward to pull Miami’s collective feet out of the fire.

His teammates have confidence in him.

“Everyone knows how much peace of mind it gives you to have him on your side,” forward Luis Suarez was quoted by USA TODAY. “And I’m going to enjoy the time I have left playing alongside him and achieving important things with him, too.”

Whether he was unlucky or just didn’t have it when it counted on Saturday night.

In the 64th minute, Messi rocketed a free kick just outside of the left post, although it looked like it had entered the net.

No goal.

The Argentine maestro tried to pull off some 11th-hour heroics. He pin-pointed a left-wing feed to Fafa Picault on the right side of the box in the 85th minute, the Miami attacker headed the ball down as goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy managed to parry away for a corner kick.

Six minutes into stoppage time, El Shenawy denied Messi’s curling attempt from the right side, tipping the ball away that was headed for the upper left corner.

A frustrating finish on the inability to finish.

Heck, both sides were frustrated, knowing they could have found a goal or two.

“I’m disappointed with the result,” Ah Ahly forward Wessam Abou Ali said. “We could have taken all three points. We respect Inter Miami and their big-name players, but we could’ve finished the game in the first half by scoring three or four goals.”

A goalkeepers’ duel

Give both sides a lot of credit, they attacked, but their goalkeepers grabbed center stage in what turned into a game of two halves.

Inter Miami CF keeper Oscar Ustari stood out in the opening half, frustrating the Egyptian side several times, including diving to his left to block Trezeguet’s 43rd-minute penalty and then denying the forward on the rebound.

“The reality is that Oscar kept us alive in the first half,” Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano told reporters. “Not only with the penalty save but with two or three other stops that impeded them from finding the opener.”

Shenawy proved his worth by making life difficult for Miami by a series of superb saves in the second half.

“I think [El Shenawy] along with Oscar in the first half were the top performers,” Suarez was quoted by FourFourTwo.com. “That is what the goalkeepers are for, and that can serve to get you important points.”

The degree of difficult gets more difficult

The degree of difficulty for Messi and company becomes, well, much more difficult in their final two Group A matches.

The Herons and Messi meet Portuguese power Porto in Atlanta on Thursday, June 19 and then Palmeiras of Brazil, another quality side, back at Hard Rock on Monday, June 23. They probably need a minimum of four points from those matches to stay alive. Perhaps more, depending on the other group results. The top two teams in each group advance to the Round of 16.

Al Alhy was supposed to be the easiest of the three foes for Miami, at least on paper. The Red Devils certainly proved otherwise as a creative side that can pose problems for the opposition. They face Palmeiras in East Rutherford, N.J. on Thursday, June 19 and then Porto back in New Jersey on June 23.

Of course, this is soccer.

Unpredictable and surprising stuff happens in this sport, including at world championships.

After all, who would have predicted a scoreless draw in the opening match of the Club World Cup that included Messi on the home side?

One thing is certain: Lionel Messi must work his magic in the next two games or Inter Miami will become spectators much sooner than later.