Inter keeps fighting for qualification, Urawa Red Diamonds say goodbye to the tournament. Heart-wrenching video from the match
Álvaro Hernández
Dailysports's expert
25,000 fans packed Lumen Field to witness Urawa's exit from the FIFA Club World Cup. Some supporters of the Japanese club simply couldn’t hold back their tears.
Key moments: Urawa started the match brightly. After a dazzling solo run by Kaneko, he delivered a low cross and Watanabe coolly slotted past Darmian and Sommer to open the scoring.
Immediately after the goal, Urawa dropped deep and tried to protect their lead. Inter enjoyed a staggering 82% possession—a tournament record on American soil. Still, the Milanese side failed to hit the target in the first half. Seven of their nine shots were blocked by Urawa defenders, and one rattled the crossbar after Martinez met Asllani's delivery.
In the second half, the pattern was unchanged: Kivu’s side kept probing, searching for a way through.
The breakthrough came from a set-piece: Martinez was first to Barella’s cross and glanced a header into the near corner—1-1.
Just when it looked like a draw was inevitable, Carboni—back from his loan spell at Marseille—finally broke Urawa’s resistance and sealed the win, 2-1.
With this result, Inter move to four points and will face River Plate in the final group match to decide who advances to the FIFA Club World Cup playoffs.
As for Urawa, heartbreak for their fans: after this defeat, they can no longer progress from the group but will look to finish strong against Monterrey in their third fixture.
Read also: Group E heats up: River Plate and Monterrey play to a draw. What do they need to advance?
