'We can beat anyone' - Mascherano confident after Miami's Club World Cup debut

Miami played out an entertaining 0-0 draw with Egyptian champions Al Ahly in the opener of the revamped Club World Cup.

Oscar Ustari was the star for the Herons, saving Trezeguet's first-half penalty as Al Ahly pushed for an opener.

Miami could have won it at the death, though, with Lionel Messi, who had struck the woodwork just after the hour, brilliantly denied by Mohamed El Shenawy's fingertip save onto the crossbar deep into stoppage time.

Mascherano's side had more shots (14), but could not find a breakthrough, with this just the third scoreless draw Messi's club teams have played in his last 108 starts, dating back to February 2022.

But the head coach was optimistic after the match, claiming his side sent out a statement.

"I'm happy with the performance. We were better in the second half, created chances and controlled the game," Mascherano said.

"We knew Al Ahly are a strong side. In the first half, we struggled with nerves and some tension, but overall, we left a good impression.

"Obviously, we wanted to win because we know how important it is to start with a win, but I'm happy with the platform.

"With this level of play, we can beat anyone."

Live look at Mohamed El Shenawy and Oscar Ustari in the #FIFACWC opener... pic.twitter.com/ck7jQvstiF

— FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) June 15, 2025

Al Ahly may feel slightly unlucky not to have got on the scoresheet as they had 11 shots, eight of which were on target, while accumulating 2.0 expected goals (xG).

They also had five Opta-defined 'big' chances, compared to Miami's three, and forward Wessam Abou Ali rued their missed opportunities.

"I'm disappointed with the result," he said. "We could have taken all three points.

"We respect Inter Miami and their big-name players, but we could have finished the game in the first half by scoring three or four goals. The crowd was incredible; 80% were our fans, which is amazing."

Al Ahly will also now be without midfielder Emam Ashour, who was denied early on by Ustari, after he suffered a broken collarbone, which forced him off after just 14 minutes.