Inter Milan leaves it late as Dortmund, Flu hit four

United News of India

4 hours ago

New York, June 22 (UNI) Fluminense, Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund all recorded crucial wins
on at the FIFA Club World Cup, while River Plate was held to a goalless draw by Monterrey.
At the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Brazil's Fluminense recovered from 2-1 down to beat South Korean side Ulsan 4-2 on Saturday.
Colombian midfielder Jhon Arias opened the scoring for Fluminense with a fizzing 25-yard free-kick but Lee Jin-hyun equalized from a tight angle after Um Won-sang's cross.
Lee returned the favor as his pass from the left wing allowed Um to score with a diving header just before halftime.
Gustavo Nunato levelled with a low finish after intercepting Milosz Trojak's clearance and Juan Pablo Freytes made it 3-2 by slotting home from the edge of the six-yard box.
Keno put the result beyond doubt with a looping stoppage-time header following Arias' cross.
Fluminense is now top of Group F with four points, ahead of Borussia Dortmund on goal difference. Ulsan is last and has no chance of progressing.
"We lost our focus at the end of the first half and they made us pay," Fluminense manager Renato Gaucho told reporters.
"We came back with a different attitude in the second half and the win gives us peace of mind. Tomorrow we'll start thinking about the last match against Mamelodi Sundowns, which we need
to win."
In Seattle, Lautaro Martinez and Valentin Carboni scored for Inter Milan as the Italian side rallied late to overcome Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds 2-1 on Saturday.
Ryoma Watanabe gave the J1 League outfit an early lead by sweeping home from 10 yards after Takuro Kaneko's clever run and cross from the right flank. It took until the 78th minute for Inter to equalize as Martinez struck with an acrobatic volley following Nicolo Barella's corner.
The Serie A club suddenly had the momentum and Carboni gave his side the lead in the 92nd minute by pouncing on a loose ball and drilling a low effort past Shusaku Nishikawa.
"The result is almost secondary," Carboni said. "It was difficult out there. They defended in a very compact fashion and we had few opportunities. But We have the three points, and it is important to move on."
The victory leaves Inter second in Group E with four points while Urawa is last and cannot qualify for the knockout stage.
In Cincinnati, Germany's Borussia Dortmund stayed in contention for a place in the last 16 with a 4-3 win over South African side Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday.
Lucas Ribeiro, Iqraam Rayners and Lebo Mothiba were on target for the Pretoria-based side while Felix Nmecha, Serhou Guirassy and Jobe Bellingham scored for the Bundesliga outfit, which also benefitted from a Khuliso Mudau own goal. Borussia Dortmund is now second in Group F with four points, one ahead of third-placed Mamelodi.
"I was expecting more, to be honest," Borussia Dortmund boss Niko Kovac said. "We gave the ball away too easily and played too slowly. On the positive side, we scored four goals. We're satisfied with the result given the difficult conditions. As a top team, you have to aim to score plenty of goals, but you also can't afford to concede so many. That annoys me, but I try to stay pragmatic."
In Saturday's late match, Argentina's River Plate drew 0-0 with Mexican side Monterrey at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. River Plate looked more likely to score but could not find a way past Monterrey's Argentine goalkeeper Esteban Andrada, who made six saves.
The Buenos Aires outfit finished the match with 10 men after Colombian midfielder Kevin Castano was sent off for a second bookable offense.
River remains top of Group E with four points, ahead of Inter Milan on goal difference, while Monterrey is third, two points further back.
UNI/XINHUA BM