Inter Milan blanks River Plate to advance in FIFA Club World Cup
SEATTLE — Francesco Pio Esposito scored in the 72nd minute and Alessandro Bastoni added an insurance goal in stoppage time to lead Inter Milan to a 2-0 win over River Plate on Wednesday night and into the second round of the Club World Cup.
Esposito's goal came just six minutes after River Plate's Lucas Martínez Quarta was shown a red card after taking out the legs of Henrikh Mkhitaryan on a breakaway and preventing a clean shot on goal.
Just two minutes before the red card, River Plate came close to taking the lead when Manuel Lanzini found Facundo Colidio in the box with a cross, but Inter Milan goalkeeper Yann Sommer made the save.
Bastoni's goal came on a left-footed shot from outside the box in the 93rd minute.
River Plate's Lucas Martinez Quarta tackles Inter Milan's Henrikh Mkhitaryan and gets a red card during their 2-0 loss in their Club World Cup match.
AP
Inter Milan finished atop Group E with seven points, two more than Monterrey, which finished second in the group following a 3-0 victory over Urawa Red Diamonds on Wednesday night.
River Plate finished in third with four points and Urawa Red Diamonds finished in last, going 0-3.
Key moment
Esposito, a 19-year-old striker, notched his first career goal for Inter Milan after assisting on the squad's winning goal in a 2-1 victory against Urawa Red Diamonds on Saturday.
Players react during the Club World Cup Group E soccer match between Inter Milan and River Plate in Seattle on June 25, 2025.
AP
Takeaways
Inter Milan plays Fluminense — one of four Brazilian clubs to advance to the round of 16 — on Monday in Charlotte, N.C.
Monterrey plays Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday 1 at Atlanta.
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