Inter Milan down nine-man River Plate to storm into Club World Cup last 16

Inter Milan booked their spot in the Club World Cup last 16 with a commanding 2–0 win over River Plate on Wednesday, a result that sent the Argentine side packing and left their supporters throwing objects onto the pitch at Seattle’s Lumen Field.

After a tight first half, Inter broke the deadlock in the 72nd minute through 19-year-old striker Francesco Esposito. Receiving a threaded pass from Petar Sucic, he shook off his marker and curled a precise shot into the bottom right corner past Franco Armani - his first goal for the Serie A champions.

River Plate’s evening went from bad to worse when defender Lucas Martínez Quarta was sent off in the 66th minute for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity on Henrikh Mkhitaryan.



The dismissal left River down to ten, and their frustration boiled over late on when Gonzalo Montiel picked up a second yellow in injury time, reducing them to nine men.

Alessandro Bastoni sealed the victory deep into stoppage time with a clinical finish, ensuring Inter would face Brazil’s Fluminense in the last 16 next Monday.

Meanwhile, Mexico’s Monterrey topped Group E as runners-up - after a 4–0 win over Urawa Red Diamonds - and will take on Borussia Dortmund on July 2.

In what was a fiercely contested, physical battle, Inter’s superior discipline and clinical finishing ultimately decided the outcome, setting up an eagerly anticipated showdown with Fluminense.

"We got the job done, that's the most important thing," Inter manager Cristian Chivu said afterwards.

"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."