River Plate, Monterrey play out goalless stalemate in Club World Cup

River Plate were left frustrated after a 0-0 draw with Mexico’s Monterrey on Saturday, missing a chance to secure a spot in the Club World Cup knockout stage.

Despite dominating large stretches of the match, the Argentine side couldn’t break through, with former Boca Juniors goalkeeper Esteban Andrada producing a string of crucial saves for Monterrey.

The result leaves Group E finely poised heading into the final round of matches on Wednesday, with River and Inter Milan both on four points and Monterrey close behind on two. Monterrey will face already-eliminated Urawa Red Diamonds in their final group game.



In front of over 57,000 fans at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Monterrey started brightly, forcing River goalkeeper Franco Armani into an early save from Sergio Canales. But the match soon became disjointed, with 23 fouls disrupting the flow in the first half.

River missed two golden chances just before the break - Giuliano Galoppo fired wide from a central position, and Lucas Martínez Quarta misfired from close range after a corner fell kindly to him.

The Argentinians pushed forward in the second half, with 16-year-old Franco Mastantuono and striker Miguel Borja both denied by Andrada, whose performance proved decisive.

River’s night ended on a sour note as Kevin Castano received a second yellow card in stoppage time, capping off a disappointing evening for the Buenos Aires club.