Latest news with #DomenecTorrent
Malay Mail
a day ago
- Sport
- Malay Mail
Only Messi can skip defending — Monterrey coach says players must fight for every ball against Dortmund
ATLANTA, July 1 — Monterrey coach Domenec Torrent warned his team every player must defend diligently if the Mexican club are to stand any chance of beating Borussia Dortmund in the Club World Cup last 16 today. The Spanish coach said former Barcelona great Lionel Messi, whose Inter Miami side were knocked out by Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday, is the only player in the world who can get away without tracking back. Monterrey secured an impressive 1-1 draw against Champions League runners-up Inter Milan in the group phase, but, to reach the quarter-finals, must secure a first ever win for a Mexican side against European opposition in the competition. 'We need to compete as a team, and what I mean is it's about defending — we must all defend, if you do not defend, you're getting benched, if you don't abide by the rules, you're harming the team,' Torrent told a news conference yesterday ahead of the match in Atlanta. 'We played very well against Inter Milan, we went in for every ball, we suffered and we endured, even our most talented players that tend to defend less, they defended very well. 'There are only one or two players who may make a difference — one is Lionel Messi, the best player in history. He was the only one who could tip the balance, turn the game on its head, without team-mates, without defending. 'He was so good he could tip the balance but all the other players in the world they need to track back and to defend, otherwise you can't compete head-to-head with these teams.' Monterrey coach Domenec Torrent said Lionel Messi, whose Inter Miami side were knocked out by Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday, is the only player in the world who can get away without tracking back. — Reuters pic Torrent said the margin of quality between European sides and the rest of the world was smaller, but still evident, although it did not preclude an upset. 'Against the top European teams there is a significant gap, this is the truth of the matter,' he explained. 'We have a plan A, plan B and plan C, that's what you need as a coach, many things happen over the course of a football match.' The Mexican side boast a serial winner in former Real Madrid veteran centre-back Sergio Ramos, with the 39-year-old wearing the captain's armband and marshalling the defence. In attack they have former Sevilla winger Lucas Ocampos and striker German Berterame, who netted a brace against Urawa Red Diamonds in the final group game to help them progress second, eliminating Argentine powerhouses River Plate. Del Piero's pick — Former Juventus great Alessandro Del Piero even picked Monterrey to go through ahead of Dortmund when making some last 16 predictions. 'He's a football world legend, a reference. We thank him, but we don't take it seriously. We know who we are and, on paper, who the favourites are,' said Torrent. 'I hope our players haven't heard (that), because what I want to make clear to my players is that we have to fight for every ball, every second—only in this way can we compete.' Berterame said the team have grown a lot psychologically under Torrent, who was Pep Guardiola's assistant at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City before starting on his own path as a head coach. 'Our mentality and what we've accomplished have made our mindset higher now,' explained the forward. 'We have to try to play like we've been playing against Inter or River, maintaining that intensity and that order.' — AFP
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Only Messi can shirk defending: warns Monterrey coach before Dortmund clash
Monterrey's Spanish head coach Domenec Torrent warned his team they all have to defend against Borussia Dortmund (FRANCK FIFE) Monterrey coach Domenec Torrent warned his team every player must defend diligently if the Mexican club are to stand any chance of beating Borussia Dortmund in the Club World Cup last 16 on Tuesday. The Spanish coach said former Barcelona great Lionel Messi, whose Inter Miami side were knocked out by Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday, is the only player in the world who can get away without tracking back. Advertisement Monterrey secured an impressive 1-1 draw against Champions League runners-up Inter Milan in the group phase, but, to reach the quarter-finals, must secure a first ever win for a Mexican side against European opposition in the competition. "We need to compete as a team, and what I mean is it's about defending -- we must all defend, if you do not defend, you're getting benched, if you don't abide by the rules, you're harming the team," Torrent told a news conference Monday ahead of the match in Atlanta. "We played very well against Inter Milan, we went in for every ball, we suffered and we endured, even our most talented players that tend to defend less, they defended very well. "There are only one or two players who may make a difference -- one is Lionel Messi, the best player in history. He was the only one who could tip the balance, turn the game on its head, without team-mates, without defending. Advertisement "He was so good he could tip the balance but all the other players in the world they need to track back and to defend, otherwise you can't compete head-to-head with these teams." Torrent said the margin of quality between European sides and the rest of the world was smaller, but still evident, although it did not preclude an upset. "Against the top European teams there is a significant gap, this is the truth of the matter," he explained. "We have a plan A, plan B and plan C, that's what you need as a coach, many things happen over the course of a football match." Advertisement The Mexican side boast a serial winner in former Real Madrid veteran centre-back Sergio Ramos, with the 39-year-old wearing the captain's armband and marshalling the defence. In attack they have former Sevilla winger Lucas Ocampos and striker German Berterame, who netted a brace against Urawa Red Diamonds in the final group game to help them progress second, eliminating Argentine powerhouses River Plate. - Del Piero's pick - Former Juventus great Alessandro Del Piero even picked Monterrey to go through ahead of Dortmund when making some last 16 predictions. "He's a football world legend, a reference. We thank him, but we don't take it seriously. We know who we are and, on paper, who the favorites are," said Torrent. Advertisement "I hope our players haven't heard (that), because what I want to make clear to my players is that we have to fight for every ball, every second -- only in this way can we compete." Berterame said the team have grown a lot psychologically under Torrent, who was Pep Guardiola's assistant at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City before starting on his own path as a head coach. "Our mentality and what we've accomplished have made our mindset higher now," explained the forward. "We have to try to play like we've been playing against Inter or River, maintaining that intensity and that order." rbs/nf
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rayados welcome key players back for clash with Borussia
Rayados de Monterrey was the only Mexican club to advance to the Round of 16 of the Club World Cup, although in their last match against Urawa Reds, they presented losses that worried their fans. For the match against Borussia Dortmund, some key elements will be back. Advertisement In the previous match, Sergio Canales and Johan Rojas did not play, important pieces in Domenec Torrent's scheme. Both will be available for the match in Atlanta, which represents a relief for the Regio team. Jorge 'Corcho' Rodríguez will also return, who was absent against the Japanese team due to accumulation of cards. His suspension was the result of a second yellow card received against River Plate. Rayados qualified as second in Group E and will face the leader of Group F, Borussia Dortmund, this Tuesday, July 1. The match will be at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the winner could face the winner between Real Madrid and Juventus. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here. 📸 Harry How - 2025 Getty Images
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Monterrey beats Urawa at the Rose Bowl and gets some help to advance in Club World Cup
Urawa Red Diamonds' Shusaku Nishikawa fails to block a goal by Monterrey's Germán Berterame during the Club World Cup Group E soccer match at the Rose Bowl on Wednesday. (Gregory Bull / Associated Press) Mexico's Monterrey advanced to the round of 16 at the Club World Cup by thrashing Urawa Red Diamonds 4-0 on Wednesday at the Rose Bowl in the third and final match of the group stage, while Argentina's River Plate was eliminated with a 2-0 loss to Inter Milan in Seattle. As the third-place team in Group E, the Rayados needed to win, scoring as many goals as possible, and then hope for a winner at Lumen Field during the match between River Plate and Inter Milan, because if the match was tied 2-2, Monterrey would be eliminated no matter what happened in Pasadena. Advertisement But Inter Milan's win gave the club first place in the group with seven points, followed by Monterrey with five and River Plate with four points. Urawa did not earn any group points. Read more: FIFA Club World Cup casting some doubts over European soccer dominance 'We have to enjoy now, the present,' said Domenec Torrent, Monterrey's technical director. 'I'm very happy for the people who came here and for Mexican soccer in general.' Torrent added that he was happy to finish unbeaten during three group stage matches, earning one win and two draws. "We knew it was going to be a complex match. Urawa, despite being eliminated, we knew they were going to play a difficult game," Monterrey midfielder Óliver Torres said. "In fact, in the first few minutes they made it very difficult for us. After the goal, we started to grow in the match. We knew it was a very important day for all the club's workers, for all the fans who were here and at home, and well, for all of Mexico." Advertisement Monterrey settled the match in a matter of nine minutes. Monterrey's Germán Berterame, front, and Sergio Ramos embrace after winning their Club World Cup Group E match against Urawa on Wednesday at the Rose Bowl. (Jae Hong / Associated Press) Colombian Nelson Deossa fired a powerful shot from outside the box at Urawa goalkeeper Shūsaku Nishikawa, who could not block the shot as the ball rolled in for a goal in the 30th minute. Two minutes later, Argentine Germán Berterame fired a low shot on the right side of the Japanese goal and scored. Then, Jesús "Tecatito" Corona fired a long-range missile, extending Monterrey's lead to 3-0. The fourth goal came in stoppage time when Berterame finished off a diagonal cross from the right. 'I didn't expect what tonight was like,' said Berterame of his brace, the win and the qualification. 'We were coming to win, but I think it was a dream night.' Advertisement Monterrey will face Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta while Inter Milan will face Fluminense on Monday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., in the round of 16 of the tournament. Monterrey fans cheer for their team during a Club World Cup Group E soccer match against Urawa Red Diamonds at the Rose Bowl on Wednesday. (Jae Hong / Associated Press) "The next game we know is very difficult," said Torrent, who added Dortmund plays a style very similar to Inter Milan. "It's another European team that competes very well, they have won things. We already know how they play, I've seen them very well." 'Every game is like a chess match. Getting through the group was not easy. It's going to be very difficult for them to beat us and if they beat us, let the fans know that we're going to give everything." Advertisement Sergio Ramos' Monterrey and Lionel Messi's Inter Miami are the only two CONCACAF teams to survive the first round, as Pachuca, Seattle and LAFC were eliminated during the group stage. This article first appeared in Spanish via L.A. Times en Español. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Al Jazeera
7 days ago
- Sport
- Al Jazeera
Monterrey, Inter Milan, Dortmund and Fluminense in Club World Cup last 16
Mexican club Monterrey have booked a spot in the knockout rounds of the Club World Cup with a thumping 4-0 win over Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds at the Rose Bowl. Three goals in eight first-half minutes sent the side on their way to victory on Wednesday, as they claimed second place in Group E behind Inter Milan, whose 2-0 victory over River Plate eased some nerves for the European giants. Stunning long-range strikes from Nelson Deossa and Jesus Corona came either side of German Berterame's cool finish to set up Monterrey a last 16 meeting with Borussia Dortmund. Deossa put Monterrey in front on the half-hour mark with a swerving long-range shot 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. 'I'm really very happy we're in the next stage,' said Monterrey coach Domenec Torrent. 'We're very happy because we have a clean sheet , it's not easy in this group especially with the group that we had.' Meanwhile, Inter Milan kept their cool to beat nine-man and eliminate River Plate, booking a knockout tie against Fluminense. The Champions League runners-up faced a tough 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 later 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 Argentinian 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. Also in Group F, Fluminense could only draw 0-0 against South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns, but it was enough to claim second place behind Dortmund, who defeated Ulsan HD 1-0 to claim top spot in Group F. 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.
