Inter Milan 2-0 River Plate
Inter Milan secured a 2-0 victory over River Plate with two late goals, ensuring their passage to the knockout stage of the FIFA Club World Cup as Group E winners. The win also eliminated River Plate, who finished third behind Monterrey.
After River were reduced to 10 men following Lucas Martínez Quarta’s red card for fouling Henrikh Mkhitaryan as the last man, Francesco Pio Esposito broke the deadlock in the 72nd minute. Alessandro Bastoni sealed the win with a stoppage-time strike.
Inter will now face Brazilian club Fluminense in the round of 16 in Charlotte on Monday, while Monterrey, who finished second in the group, will face Borussia Dortmund.
Monterrey 4-0 Urawa Reds
Monterrey booked their place in the last 16 with a dominant 4-0 win over Japan’s Urawa Reds at the Rose Bowl, claiming second spot in Group E behind Inter.
Goals came in a flurry in the first half:
- Nelson Deossa opened the scoring with a stunning 35-yard strike on 30 minutes.
- Germán Berterame added a composed finish just 4 minutes later.
- Jesús Corona scored the pick of the bunch with another long-range effort in the 38th minute.
- Berterame struck again in second-half stoppage time to complete the rout.
Monterrey will now meet Borussia Dortmund in the last 16.
Mamelodi Sundowns 0-0 Fluminense
Fluminense played out a tense 0-0 draw with South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, a result that was enough for the Brazilian side to secure second place in Group F.
Despite being under pressure for much of the match, Fluminense advanced with five points, behind group winners Borussia Dortmund (7 points), who narrowly beat Ulsan 1-0.
Fluminense’s reward is a clash with Inter Milan in the last 16. They now join fellow Brazilian clubs Flamengo, Palmeiras, and Botafogo in the tournament’s knockout stage, ensuring a full Brazilian representation in the round of 16 of the expanded 32-team Club World Cup.
