Inter Milan Strike Late to Progress with 2-0 Win over River Plate
Inter Milan scored twice in the last 18 minutes to beat River Plate 2-0 on Wednesday and progress to the knockout stage of the Club World Cup as Group E winners and send the Argentines home.
Teenager Francesco Esposito broke the deadlock soon after River had been reduced to 10 men by the dismissal of Lucas Martinez Quarta with Alessandro Bastoni adding the second in stoppage time.
The 20-times Italian champions will face Brazilian club Fluminense in the last 16 in Charlotte on Monday with Monterrey, who beat Urawa Red Diamonds 4-0, going through in second place a point ahead of River.
An intense match turned nasty after Bastoni's goal with River's Gonzalo Montiel also sent off for two yellow cards during a series of melees which continued as the players left the field under a shower of missiles from the crowd, Reuters reported.
"We have the job done. We qualify for the further stage of this competition. We are pleased with that," said Inter coach Cristian Chivu.
"The game was very tough for us in the first half, River had a lot of aggression, a lot of intensity. In the second half, we controlled the game a little bit better and ... after the red card it was much easier for us."
Martinez Quarta's exit for bringing down Henrikh Mkhitaryan as the last defender turned the match with the first Inter goal coming seven minutes later.
Esposito took a neat touch on Petar Sucic's pass to get onto his right foot before turning and lashing the ball into the net.
River were spent by the time Bastoni skipped through the tiring defense to add Inter's second with a low left-foot strike five minutes into stoppage time.
The packed ranks of River fans at Lumen Field ensured a rocking atmosphere from the start and they were treated to a full-blooded clash with plenty of endeavor but no goals until the last quarter.
River's best moves came through Real Madrid-bound Franco Mastantuono, but the 17-year-old midfielder only managed to get one of his handful of shots on target.
Esposito also had a couple of good chances to open the scoring and his skipper Lautaro Martinez was particularly profligate, hitting the post with the best of his host of openings.
River's Facundo Colidio headed the ball straight at Inter keeper Yann Sommer with a gilt-edged chance in the 64th minute but the forward was substituted in a tactical rejig a minute later after Martinez Quarta had been sent off.
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