INTER MILAN kept their cool to beat nine-man River Plate 2-0 and reach the Club World Cup last 16 on Wednesday, while Mexican side Monterrey followed them through from Group E.
Borussia Dortmund defeated Ulsan HD 1-0 to claim top spot in Group F and the Germans will face Sergio Ramos’ Monterrey, who thrashed Urawa Red Diamonds 4-0.
Argentine powerhouses River Plate were eliminated after their defeat by Inter, who will take on more South American opposition on Monday in Charlotte, in the shape of Fluminense.
The Brazilian side could only draw 0-0 against South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns but it was enough to claim second place behind Dortmund.
Champions League runners-up Inter faced a battle in Seattle against an aggressive River Plate side who had Lucas Martinez and Gonzalo Montiel sent off in front of 45,000 fans at Lumen Field.
Francesco Esposito scored his first Inter goal to put the Italians ahead and Alessandro Bastoni made the game safe late on for Christian Chivu’s side.
“In the first half we were surprised by their intensity, aggression and pressure,“ said Chivu.
“Then in the second half we raised our level of intensity… we’re strong, confident and have players who can play such a game.”
With Monterrey ahead against Urawa, River needed a winner to progress but their job got harder when Martinez was sent off after 66 minutes for hacking down veteran Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Six minutes later teenage striker Esposito steered home the opener to leave River on the brink.
Bastoni ensured Inter’s progress as he drilled home, before River’s Gonzalo Montiel picked up a second yellow and was dismissed.
There were ugly scenes at the end as River fans threw objects at Inter players leaving the pitch.
Both Argentine teams at the tournament, River and their rivals Boca Juniors, have been eliminated despite their fans creating vibrant atmospheres.
“It’s a shame for all the people who came en masse to watch the team that we couldn’t give them the chance to keep going,“ said disappointed River coach Marcelo Gallardo.
Three goals in a nine-minute first half spell helped Monterrey defeat Urawa at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena in front of a crowd of only 14,000.
Nelson Deossa smashed home a spectacular long-distance effort to open the scoring and German Berterame rolled the second in at the far post.
Former Porto winger Jesus Corona walloped home the third with another fine effort from over 30 yards out, and Berterame struck again late on, as the Japanese side departed with three defeats.
“This is what we were looking for, we gave everything — from the first match until this one, they’ve all been tough,“ said Berterame.
Monterrey face Dortmund in Atlanta on Tuesday.
Dortmund claim top spot
A solitary first-half goal by Daniel Svensson earned Dortmund top spot in Group F in sweltering Cincinnati heat.
Dortmund’s second straight victory by a one-goal margin, following their 4-3 defeat of Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday, was watched by only just over 8,000 spectators in Cincinnati, among them US Vice President JD Vance and FIFA chief Gianni Infantino.
“We can be satisfied. I think our performance was better than in the first two matches,“ said Dortmund coach Niko Kovac.
He has spoken regularly at the tournament about the difficulties posed by the searing June heat in the United States.
“What the boys are doing is incredible. Thirty-six degrees Celsius (96.8 degrees Fahrenheit) and 43 degrees in the stadium,“ Kovac said.
Ulsan go home with three defeats from three games, while Fluminense are through after their draw against Sundowns, meaning all four Brazilian teams in the competition have progressed to the knockout phase.
Sundowns’ exit means none of the four African clubs who came to the tournament will feature in the last 16, but their performances mean they can go home with their heads held high.
“We leave and go home with our heads up because we are much stronger than we were when we came here,“ said the South African champions’ coach, Miguel Cardoso.
On Thursday Manchester City face Juventus in a battle for top spot in Group G, while Spanish giants Real Madrid face RB Salzburg as they bid to progress from Group H.
