FIFA CWC: Jose Riveiro Reacts to Al Ahly's Draw Against Lionel Messi's Inter Miami

FIFA CWC: Jose Riveiro Reacts to Al Ahly's Draw Against Lionel Messi's Inter Miami

  • Jose Riveiro, in his first official game as Al Ahly's head coach, highlighted what went wrong during their 2025 FIFA Club World Cup opener against Lionel Messi's Inter Miami at the Hard Rock Stadium
  • The match ended in a goalless draw, with Riveiro’s side failing to secure a win on his first official match with the Egyptian Premier League champions
  • Al Ahly had a golden opportunity to take the lead when former Aston Villa star Trezeguet missed a penalty in the first half, which proved to be a turning point in the match

Jose Riveiro has highlighted what went wrong in the FIFA Club World Cup opener between Al Ahly and Lionel Messi's Inter Miami at the Hard Rock Stadium in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The former Orlando Pirates coach was handling his first official game as Al Ahly coach since joining the club this summer but failed to mark his debut with a win.

Summer signing Trezeguet had the chance to give the Red Devils a win, but missed a penalty in the first half of the match as the game ended goalless.

Jose Riveiro reacts to Al Ahly's draw against Lionel Messi's Inter Miami.
Jose Riveiro outlines mistakes Al Ahly made during their goalless draw against Inter Miami in the FIFA Club World Cup. Photo: Roberto Schmidt
Source: Getty Images

Riveiro on Al Ahly's draw against Messi's Inter Miami

In an interview with DAZN, as per Al Jazeera, Riveiro outlines the mistake Al Ahly made against Inter Miami in their Club World Cup opener.

PAY ATTENTION: Briefly News is now on YouTube! Check out our interviews on Briefly TV Life now!

The Spanish coach wanted a win on his official debut as the Red Devils' coach, but the match was marred with a lot of missed chances from the Egyptian giants.

Jose Riveiro wanted a better official debut with Al Ahly.
Jose Riveiro opens up on what he wanted on his official debut for Al Ahly. Photo: Phill Magakoe
Source: Getty Images
“It’s not so much about what went wrong,” Riveiro told DAZN, as reported by Al Jazeera. “We had a good number of chances in the first half that could’ve changed the game, but we didn’t take them.
“In the second half, we went through a tough period, but there were plenty of positives — and also areas we need to improve on for next time.

“It honestly felt like we were playing in Cairo. The support was incredible, especially for my first match. Hopefully, we can reward the fans with a win in our next outing.”

Fans comment on Riveiro's reaction to Al Ahly's draw

Spai 2 Tactics said:

"They should have won that match, Miami keeper made some crucial saves. Now they have a mountain to climb against Palmeiras and Porto."

perseverance_25 shared:

"One thing about these north African players, they will miss clear chance just to jeopardize your contract."

tha Plug implied:

"They sold the game no two ways about, we know Infantino couldn't handle his star boy losing the opening game, that would have lost him the revenue and viewership in that country."

Mphumzi_Njovana wrote:

"AL Ahly they should have won the game, had they converted from the penalty spot and of the clear cut chances. I also felt they in patches because the end of the 2nd half Inter Miami CF came close to snatching a win. Leo Messi' s technique when it comes to set pieces 👌🔥🔥."

Success_Dj reacted:

"Ahly are fearless man the way they took the game to inter was how best team plays. I hope the other 3 African teams took some notes. Respect but be fearless."

Riveiro reflects on coaching journey

Briefly News earlier reported that Riveiro reflected on his managerial journey over the years before leading Al Ahly to the FIFA Club World Cup.

The former Orlando Pirates coach left the Se for the Red Devils at the end of the 2024-25 season.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Raphael Abiola avatar

Raphael Abiola (Sports editor) Raphael Abiola is a Nigerian Sports Journalist with over seven years of experience. He obtained a B.Tech degree in Computer Science from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, in 2015. Raphael previously worked as a football editor at Stakegains (2016-2018) and a content editor with Opera News Nigeria (2018-2023). Raphael then worked as an Editor for the Local Desk at Sports Brief (2023-2024). Reach him via email at raphael.abiola@sportsbrief.com.