Two red cards for River Plate: Inter Milan book their place in the round of 16
Inter Milan qualified for the Club World Cup round of 16 as first place in Group E. In a very intense match, the Italians beat River Plate 2-0, eliminating the Argentinians. The win also kept the Nerazzurri out of the competition against Borussia Dortmund.
Celebration run: Francesco Esposito (right) celebrates his 1-0 goal. IMAGO/Imagn Images
Compared to the 2-1 win against Urawa Red Diamonds, Inter coach Cristian Chivu made five changes: Acerbi, Bastoni, Dumfries, Mkhitaryan and Francesco Esposito played for de Vrij, Carlos Augusto, Luis Henrique, Zaleski and Sebastiano Esposito.
River Plate coach Marcelo Daniel Gallardo, on the other hand, had to make changes, especially in midfield, after the 0-0 draw against CF Monterrey , as three players were suspended: Castano (second yellow card), Perez, and Galoppo (each receiving a second yellow card). Kranvitter, Aliendro, and Borja came into the game.
The first half was characterized by high tempo, great dynamism, and tough duels, but also by few clear-cut chances. Both teams showed commitment, but were worn down in the numerous, sometimes fierce, duels and rarely posed any significant goal-scoring threats.
Inter Milan were a bit more dangerous and had the best chance of the first half through 19-year-old Esposito (26'). No goals were scored in the first 45 minutes in Seattle, but the game was still entertaining, fueled by its intensity.
River Plate under pressureThe stakes then rose for River Plate when Monterrey took the lead in the parallel match against Urawa Red Diamonds. The traditional Buenos Aires club was in danger of being eliminated in the group stage, but the Argentinians fought back and continued to deliver a thrilling battle with Inter.
The Nerazzurri, however, improved in the second half and had a clear advantage in terms of chances, but they were unable to find the net. Martinez, in particular, "distinguished" himself with numerous missed opportunities (51st, 55th, 58th). Things got even worse for River when Martinez first gave Quarta the ball away, then, as the last man, brought down Mkhitaryan in an attempt to save the ball and was shown the red card for a foul (66th).
A little later, many Milan players must have felt a weight lifted from their shoulders when the 19-year-old Esposito, after a pass from Sucic, first fooled opponent Diaz and then cleverly curled the ball into the far corner for a deserved 1-0 (72'). The goal moved Inter to first place in Group E.
The Italians subsequently defended this position and thus avoided Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16. The victory was even more impressive, as defender Bastoni took advantage of the opposition's disorganization and a minor goalkeeping error in stoppage time to powerfully score the final goal (90+3). Things turned ugly in stoppage time when Acuna and Dumfries started a tangle, resulting in Montiel receiving a second yellow card – but this ultimately didn't matter given the Argentinians' elimination.
| stadium | Lumen Field |
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On Monday (10 p.m.) the Champions League finalists will face Fluminense, while River Plate will have to say goodbye.
