- River Plate finished the match with 9 men
- Esposito and Bastoni scored the goals
- River Plate were eliminated after Monterrey’s win over Urawa
Key Takeaways:
Inter defeated River Plate 2:0 in а Group E match at the FIFA Club World Cup and finished in 1st place. On top of that, the Nerazzurri knocked the Argentine giants out of the tournament, after Monterrey overcame Urawa Red Diamonds.
In the final standings, Inter finished top with 7 points, Monterrey came 2nd with 5, River Plate had 4 points, and Urawa ended bottom without a single point. In the Round of 16, Inter will face Fluminense.
La decidono Pio Esposito e Bastoni ⚽
L'#Inter batte 2️⃣➖0️⃣ il River Plate e vola agli ottavi della #FIFACWC 🔜#DAZN pic.twitter.com/obHg45iGxm— DAZN Italia (@DAZN_IT) June 26, 2025
The first half was dominated by physical clashes, which logically led to fouls and yellow cards for both teams. Gonzalo Montiel from the Argentines and Alessandro Bastoni from the Italian giants received official warnings.
Inter were under pressure due to the result in the other group match, where Monterrey were leading 3:0 against Urawa. With that result, the Nerazzurri were heading out of the tournament and had to raise their tempo. In the 51st minute, team star Lautaro Martinez struck the post of River Plate’s goal.
A quarter of an hour later, Lucas Martinez Quarta from River Plate received a straight red card after tripping Mkhitaryan, who was breaking through one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
Six minutes later, Mkhitaryan found Esposito in the penalty area, who managed to score and put Inter ahead. In the following 15 minutes, player actions on both sides became more aggressive, and each team picked up two yellow cards.
Bastoni sealed the outcome in stoppage time when he fired from the edge of the penalty area to make it 2:0. Even though the match was already decided, Montiel from the Argentine club managed to get a second yellow card and left his team with nine players for the remainder of the game.