Club World Cup: Inter Milan storm into last 16 as Brazil clubs impress

The National

26-06-2025

Inter Milan entered the last 16 stage of the Club World Cup following a stormy 2-0 victory over River Plate that sealed the Argentine club's exit.
Teenage striker Francesco Esposito and Alessandro Bastoni scored the goals to settle a tense contest which saw River finish with nine men.
The final whistle was marred by an ugly melee which saw players from both sides clash as they sprinted off the pitch, with missiles being thrown by River's fans at Seattle's Lumen Field.
"We got the job done, that's the most important thing," Inter manager Cristian Chivu said.
"That game was very tough for us – in the first half they had a lot of aggression, a lot of intensity. But in the second half we controlled the game better and in the end won."
Esposito, 19, bagged his first goal for Inter with a fine strike in the 72nd minute to put the Italians ahead.
The tall striker collected a pass from Petar Sucic, lost his marker before drilling a shot into the bottom right-hand corner past River goalkeeper Franco Armani.
Bastoni then bagged Inter's second deep into injury time to seal a win which sets up a last-16 meeting against Brazil's Fluminense next Monday.
Both Argentine teams at the tournament, River Plate and Boca Juniors, have been eliminated despite fervent support.
"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 River Plate coach Marcelo Gallardo.
Brazil clubs on the mark
Fluminense held Mamelodi Sundowns to a 0-0 draw, denying the South African club the win they needed to advance to the knockout round.
Fluminense finished second in Group F to Borussia Dortmund, who defeated Ulsan 1-0 in Cincinnati.
The result underscored a renaissance of sorts for Brazilian clubs at the tournament.
Flamengo, Palmeiras, Botafogo and Fluminense – Copa Libertadores winners in recent years – all advanced to the second round.
Flamengo and Palmeiras topped their groups; Flamengo stunned Chelsea 3-1 to be the first team to qualify for the last 16. Botafogo, who stunned Uefa Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain, and Fluminense qualified in second place.
"Our first objective was the round of 16, but that isn't the end objective,' Fluminense midfielder Jhon Arias said after the draw with Mamelodi Sundowns.
Botafogo and Palmeiras will face off on Saturday, a game which guarantees at least one Brazilian club a spot in the quarter-finals. Flamengo take on Bayern Munich on Sunday.
Corinthians were the last Brazilian club to win the world club title, beating Chelsea in 2012. That tournament format was much smaller than the current 32-team competition, which features clubs from five continents.
Also, Monterrey booked a spot in the knockout rounds with a thumping 4-0 win over Urawa Red Diamonds at the Rose Bowl to claim second place in Group E and set up a last-16 clash with Borussia Dortmund.
Three goals in eight first-half minutes sent Monterrey on their way to victory, with stunning long-range strikes from Nelson Deossa and Jesus Corona coming either side of German Berterame's cool finish.
Deossa put Monterrey in front on the half-hour mark with a swerving shot from 35 yards and Berterame doubled the advantage four minutes later.
Corona added the third with the pick of the goals from distance in the 38th minute before Berterame scored the fourth in second-half stoppage time.