Urawa 0 Monterrey 4: Explosive sequence sends Liga MX side through
PASADENA, Calif. – Monterrey ensured there would be Mexican participation in the knockout stage of the FIFA Club World Cup, breaking open a tight match with three goals in a matter of nine first-half minutes and beating Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds 4-0 at the Rose Bowl Wednesday night to close play in Group E.
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Nelson Deossa opened the scoring in the 34th minute with a wicked long-range hit that played tricks on Urawa goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa. Germán Berterame followed soon after with a more conventional finish, opening his hips and curling a low right-footed shot inside the far post to double the advantage. The best of the bunch followed in the 39th minute, with Jesus 'Tecatito' Corona launching a 30-yard blast that left Nishikawa no chance. Berterame added a sliding finish from close range at the death to tack on the final tally.
Monterrey entered the match knowing it needed a win to have a chance at advancing to the round of 16. The Liga MX power handled that in short order, and by virtue of Inter Milan's simultaneous 2-0 win over 10-man River Plate, it finishes second in Group E and will face Group F winner Borussia Dortmund in final match of the round of 16 on Tuesday, July 1. Los Rayados join Inter Miami as Concacaf clubs to survive the group stage. The Seattle Sounders, LAFC and Pachuca were not as fortunate.
Here, The Athletic's Austin Green recaps all the thrills and key moments from the Rose Bowl.
Over the first 30 minutes of the match, Monterrey's midfielders did not look like they would be the ones to change the dynamic. It's hard to play the possession-style approach that manager and former Pep Guardiola assistant Domènec Torrent prefers if you keep losing possession, as Monterrey's midfielders did. That led to some brief moments of danger in the 23rd minute that forced goalkeeper Esteban Andrada into action after Urawa striker Yusuke Matsuo was left unmarked on the left side.
Then, Deossa got the ball near the center of the pitch, dribbled towards the opposing half, saw Urawa's defenders sagging back and launched a beautiful, swerving missile from 36 yards out that changed the complexion of both this match and the one up north in Seattle between Inter and River Plate.
The small but lively crowd of 14,312 at the Rose Bowl gasped in disbelief as Deossa and his teammates celebrated what instantly became a contender for the goal of the tournament — only to be possibly upstaged by his fellow midfielder Corona nine minutes later.
Taking a cue from Deossa, Corona dribbled towards the box, left Urawa's midfield in the dust, saw nobody closing in on him and loaded up. His right-footed laser screamed by poor Urawa goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa, who was caught off his line this time after being frozen by Deossa's strike earlier.
Corona's strike was from a bit shorter of a distance and much less audacious, given that Monterrey already held a 2-0 lead after the goals from Deossa and Berterame. But it was impressive nonetheless, both as a moment of individual brilliance and to relieve whatever pressure Monterrey had left in a match it had to win in order to advance.
Monterrey is coming off a down season in 2024-25, leading to the sacking of Martin Demichelis after an early loss in the Liga MX playoffs. But the traditional powerhouse has now claimed a major point of pride by becoming one of just two Concacaf clubs to advance to the round of 16 in this reformatted Club World Cup.
It's a major boost to start Torrent's tenure in Monterrey, with the 62-year-old Spaniard making his team debut at this tournament.
Monterrey, however, is no stranger to the Club World Cup. As a five-time Concacaf Champions League/Cup winner, this is Los Rayados' sixth trip to the tournament, and they're by far the most successful Concacaf representative to ever play in it. Monterrey are now 7-4-4 all-time at the Club World Cup and have won at least once every single time they have played in the tournament. It'll take a top effort to advance beyond Dortmund, but the club already proved it can hang with top European clubs by drawing reigning Champions League finalist Inter in the group stage.
As Deossa celebrated his opening goal, one teammate drew him close for a brief one-on-one embrace. Deossa beamed as he saw who it was.
Sergio Ramos is 39 years old now, and is nowhere near the uber-athletic menace he was in his prime at Real Madrid. He's only made 12 appearances for Monterrey since his head-turning transfer from Sevilla due to the same injury issues that hampered his later years in Europe.
But he is the captain and unquestioned leader of this side, and his teammates clearly value his experience. That much was evident in how Monterrey started their build-up, with Ramos initiating out of the back nearly every single time. He completed 101 passes, by far the most of anyone in the match.
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Whenever Urawa threatened, it almost always came from the left side, away from where Ramos played in right central defense on Monterrey's four-man back line. Add in his pivotal goal against Inter last week — without it, Monterrey would not have gotten out of the group — and Ramos has been integral to his new club's success in this tournament.
It's worth noting that both Concacaf clubs in the round of 16 feature high-profile former La Liga stars. Monterrey has Ramos, while Miami, of course, has its quartet of ex-Barcelona standouts led by Lionel Messi.
This was Urawa's one chance to play at the Rose Bowl in this tournament, and the club's fans took full advantage. Urawa set up the most lively supporters' section among any team to play at the Rose Bowl, a group that includes Inter Milan, Atlético Madrid, PSG and current Copa Liberatadores champion Botafogo – not to mention Monterrey.
Those fans, which eventually swelled up to roughly 500 clad in red and black and waving flags and banners with team colors (including multiple Japanese flags), started chanting and drumming as soon as Urawa players took the pitch.
And they did not stop. Not after Monterrey's first goal. Or its second. Or its third. Or the halftime whistle. Or the fourth. It took several minutes after the full-time whistle for the group to finally go silent and thin out.
3-0 down but they don't care! ❤️♦️
Watch the @FIFACWC | June 14 – July 13 | Every Game | Free | https://t.co/i0K4eUtwwb | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld #URDCFM pic.twitter.com/sqVJ2qnx5D
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) June 26, 2025
Urawa was already eliminated from advancing before this match even kicked off. In fact, it's now last in the entire tournament field after a third straight loss. It was playing purely for pride, and got humiliated, yet the fans did not slow down for a moment in an incredible display of constant support.
Saturday, June 28
Palmeiras vs. Botafogo, 12 p.m. ET/5 p.m. UK (Philadelphia)
Benfica vs. Chelsea, 4 p.m. ET/9 p.m. UK (Charlotte)
Sunday, June 29
PSG vs. Inter Miami, 12 p.m. ET/5 p.m. UK (Atlanta)
Flamengo vs. Bayern, 4 p.m. ET/9 p.m. UK (Miami)
Monday, June 30
Inter Milan vs. Fluminense, 3 p.m. ET/8 p.m. UK (Charlotte)
Winner Group G vs. Runner-up Group H, 9 p.m. ET/2 a.m. UK (Orlando)
Tuesday, July 1
Winner Group H vs. Runner-up Group G, 3 p.m. ET/8 p.m. UK (Miami)
Borussia Dortmund vs. Monterrey, 9 p.m. ET/2 a.m. UK (Atlanta)
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