Inter Milan claimed the top position in Group E of the FIFA Club World Cup (CWC) following a 2-0 triumph over River Plate in Seattle, sending the Argentinian side packing and securing just their second clean sheet in six outings.
The initial moments of the match were largely uneventful, marred by a flurry of tackles and a lack of clear scoring opportunities.
A low strike from Franco Mastantuono, saved by Yann Sommer, had River Plate supporters on the edge of their seats momentarily. However, Inter soon found their groove, creating two solid chances.
The first came when Gonzalo Martínez thwarted a Francesco Pio Esposito effort from close range, but Lautaro Martínez then fired a promising chance wide. Undeterred by the earlier missed opportunities, Esposito attempted to spearhead the Nerazzurri’s attack again, but Paulo Díaz made a crucial block, hitting the ground hard in the process.
After halftime, the Italian side continued their assault and squandered four opportunities in quick succession.
Martinez managed to break through first, only to see his shot hit the post due to a challenge from Marcos Acuña. In swift succession, Henrikh Mkhitaryan found himself on goal but was denied by a duo of River defenders, with Federico Dimarco’s follow-up attempt going wide.
Franco Armani made a crucial stop to deny Martinez just minutes later.
A double substitution from the River coach just past the hour mark provided a brief resurgence, and River nearly snatched the lead when Facundo Colidio met a left-wing cross, only to direct a feeble header straight into Sommer’s arms.
Things worsened for River when Mkhitaryan’s surge forward was abruptly halted by a foul from Lucas Martinez Quarta while he was through on goal.
A straight red card was the only possible outcome, leaving River hanging by a thread.
With 20 minutes remaining, the inevitable occurred as Esposito found the back of the net for his first goal for Inter following a turnover. Mkhitaryan dashed past the River defence and fed the ball across for his young teammate, who calmly finished into the far corner of Armani’s net.
The match then turned into a mere formality as Inter scored again in added time through a dazzling solo effort from Alessandro Bastoni, who slotted the ball beneath Armani, extinguishing any lingering doubts.
There was still time for a fracas that resulted in Gonzalo Montiel receiving a second yellow card, but with Inter securing the top position, they set up a promising Round of 16 encounter against Fluminense.
Conversely, River Plate remains without a goal against a European side in the CWC, undoubtedly viewing their elimination from this group stage as a significant missed opportunity.
__________________________________
Sponsored:
FIFA Club World Cup – Every Match Available Free, exclusively on DAZN.
Click here to start streaming.
__________________________________
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
Fanpage: SportArena.com.au.
LiveScore – Live Sports Results & Odds.
