‘Battle of Seattle’ as Inter Milan down nine-man River Plate to advance to Club World Cup last 16

SEATTLE – Inter Milan coach Cristian Chivu was glad to have overcome a “tough” match, as his side advanced to the last 16 of the Club World Cup on June 25, following a stormy 2-0 victory over River Plate that sealed the Argentinian club’s exit.

Teenage striker Francesco Esposito and Alessandro Bastoni scored the goals to settle a physical 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,” 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.”

Earlier, the 19-year-old Esposito bagged his first goal for Serie A giants Inter with a lovely strike in the 72nd minute to put the Italian side 1-0 up.

The 1.91m striker collected a pass from Petar Sucic and elegantly 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 on June 30.

Mexico’s Monterrey, 4-0 winners over already eliminated Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds, finished as runners-up in Group E and will face Borussia Dortmund in the last 16 on July 1.

Chivu also reserved special praise for Esposito.

He said: “He was up to the task in a serious match.

“It wasn’t easy, either physically or in terms of nerves.

“But he, as with his teammates, played a great match.

“I look at the players I have available. And I try to find a solution by giving everyone a chance to feel important and a part of the project.

“To find the energy, ambition and character despite some difficulties, to always be a part of the team and the group.”

River’s campaign ended in disarray, with defender Lucas Martinez Quarta sent off for denying a goal-scoring opportunity in the 65th minute.

Argentina international Gonzalo Montiel then followed his teammate off the field in injury time after picking up a second yellow card.

Inter and River Plate had gone into the game with the Group E standings on a knife edge.

But, after Monterrey swept into an early 3-0 lead against Urawa in Pasadena, the stakes soon became clear in Seattle, where the winner would advance, provided the result in California stood.

In Group F, a solitary first-half goal by Daniel Svensson gave Dortmund a 1-0 win over South Korea’s Ulsan HD in Cincinnati as the German side also secured a place in the last 16.

It means they qualified as group winners, while Fluminense go through behind them in second after holding off Mamelodi Sundowns in a goal-less stalemate played at the same time in Miami.

“We can be satisfied. I think our performance was better than in the first two matches,” said Dortmund coach Niko Kovac.

He has spoken regularly at the tournament about the difficulties posed by the searing June heat in the United States, and this was another game played in sweltering mid-afternoon conditions.

“We keep saying the same thing. What the boys are doing is incredible.

“Thirty-six deg C and 43 deg C in the stadium. This is incredible,” Kovac added.

“Even if you just stand around, it can get very taxing but I think they are doing a great job.

“Now we have a day off and I hope the players recover for the next match.” AFP, REUTERS