River Plate and Monterrey drew 0-0, leaving everything to play for in the final match of the Club World Cup.

Argentina's River Plate and Mexico's Monterrey drew 0-0 in a tough clash in Los Angeles on Saturday and will have to fight for qualification to the Club World Cup round of 16 on the final day of Group E.

River leads the group with 4 points and will need at least a draw on Wednesday to secure a place against Inter Milan, who also have 4 points, while Monterrey (2) is obliged to win that same day against the Japanese Urawa Red Diamonds (0).

The Argentine squad was the one that pushed the hardest for a win at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena (east of Los Angeles), which would have given them an early ticket.

Los Millonarios, with the pearl Franco Mastantuono as their main weapon, cornered the team captained by Spaniard Sergio Ramos in the second half but came up against the accuracy of an Argentine goalkeeper, Esteban Andrada, and with one less player due to the expulsion of Colombian Kevin Castaño in the 90+1 minute.

A former Boca Juniors goalkeeper, Andrada ruined Marcelo Gallardo's charges' attempt to avoid a do-or-die clash with Inter, who had secured a nail-biting 2-1 win over already-eliminated Urawa a few hours earlier.

The first duel between Latin American teams at the World Cup took place in the stands of the centennial Rose Bowl, the site of the 1994 World Cup final.

One side of the Pasadena stadium, which held a crowd of 57,393, was completely covered in white and Millionaires' red, and the other side in Striped Blue.

Monterrey, spurred on by their debut draw against Inter (1-1), ended up taking the spoils they were looking for in a match with up to 39 fouls that barely showed any flashes of football from two high-caliber left-footers, Mastantuono and the Spaniard Sergio Canales, the brains of Monterrey.

Mastantuono Incisor

The match was also filled with reunions. Maximiliano Meza, Gallardo's choice to replace the injured Sebastián Driussi, played for Monterrey until last year, which also fielded Argentines Andrada, Jorge Rodríguez, Germán Berterame, and Lucas Ocampos, a River Plate youth product.

As the ball rolled, "El Muñeco" Gallardo ordered a high pressure that retreated from the gaps it left in the rearguard.

The Rayados were close to making them pay for it when Canales made a run through the center, but his shot went too far in the center.

The match entered a phase of rough play, with Argentines Enzo Pérez, River's longtime driving force, and Jorge Rodríguez, Monterrey's winger, receiving yellow cards that will mean they will miss the final round of the group stage.

On the hot Californian afternoon, the game slowed down, and River's attack came to depend on Mastantuono's balance and skill from set pieces.

In the 27th minute, Real Madrid's new signing tried to surprise Andrada with a free kick over the wall, but the goalkeeper guessed his intention.

The constant interruptions in play led to a four-minute extension in which River had its two best chances to take the lead, one of which Martínez Quarta missed with a shot high inside the six-yard box.

Former Boca Juniors player Andrada stops River

River also went on the offensive in the second half. Sergio Ramos and his men rolled up their sleeves to bail out a barrage of Argentine attacks.

The millionaires' pressure, however, only resulted in a couple of dangerous chances, which Andrada neutralized.

In the 67th minute, the veteran goalkeeper flew to clear a left-footed shot from Mastantuono and ten minutes later he saved a one-on-one with Colombian Miguel Borja.

The discount only served to make River lose another player for the decisive match against Inter, Kevin Castaño, who received a second yellow card for interrupting a counterattack.

Lineups:

River Plate: Franco Armani - Gonzalo Montiel, Lucas Martinez Quarta, Paulo Diaz, Marcos Acuna - Kevin Castano, Enzo Perez (Matias Kranevitter, 84), Maximiliano Meza (Ignacio Fernandez, Giuliano Galoppo (Miguel Borja, 71) - Franco Mastantuono (Gonzalo Martinez, 84) and Facundo Colidio. Coach: Marcelo Gallardo.

Monterrey: Esteban Andrada - Erick Aguirre, Stefan Medina, Sergio Ramos, Gerardo Arteaga - Jorge Rodriguez (Victor Guzman, 79), Sergio Canales (Alfonso Alvarado, 88), Nelson Deossa, Jesus Corona (Johan Rojas, 64) - Lucas Ocampos (Roberto de la Rosa, 64) and German Berterame (Fidel Ambriz, 64). Coach: Domènec Torrent.