Inter Milan scored twice in the last 18 minutes to beat River Plate 2-0 and progress to the knockout stage of the Club World Cup as Group E winners and send the Argentine side home.
Francesco Pio Esposito scored Inter’s first goal seven minutes after River had been reduced to 10 men by the dismissal of Lucas Martínez Quarta, and Alessandro Bastoni added the second in stoppage time.
The 20-times Italian champions will face Brazilian club Fluminese in the last 16 in Charlotte on Monday with Monterrey going through in second place a point ahead of River.
Martínez Quarta was shown the red card for bringing down Henrikh Mkhitaryan as the last defender with his teammate Gonzalo Montiel also dismissed for two yellow cards after a fracas in stoppage time.
Urawa Reds 0-4 Monterrey
Monterrey booked a spot in the knockout rounds with a thumping 4-0 win at the Rose Bowl to claim second place in Group E and set up a last 16 meeting with Borussia Dortmund.
Three goals in eight first-half minutes sent Monterrey on their way to victory, with stunning long-range strikes from Nelson Deossa and Jesús Corona coming either side of Germán Berterame’s cool finish.
Deossa put Monterrey in front on the half-hour mark with a swerving shot from 35 yards and Berterame doubled the advantage four minutes later.
Corona added the third with the pick of the goals from distance in the 38th minute before Berterame added the fourth in second-half stoppage time.
MAMELODI SUNDOWNS 0-0 FLUMINENSE
Fluminense completed a full Brazilian contingent in the round of 16 after a goalless draw with Mamelodi Sundowns secured their progress from Group F.
Despite being on the back foot for much of the match at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, Fluminense advanced after finishing second in the group with five points, two behind group winners Borussia Dortmund, who edged Ulsan 1-0.
The result set up a last-16 clash next Monday in Charlotte, where Fluminense will face Inter.
They join fellow Brazilian clubs Flamengo, Palmeiras, and Botafogo in the business end of the 32-club tournament.
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Sundowns, who finish third with four points, will be left to lament missed opportunities after a promising start. Lucas Ribeiro and Tashreeq Matthews both came close early on, only to be denied by 44-year-old veteran goalkeeper Fábio.
The South African side controlled possession and attacked in waves from the flanks but were unable to convert their dominance into goals.
Fluminense responded with greater urgency after the half-hour cooling break and nearly snatched the lead in the 57th minute, when Germán Cano’s low volley struck the post.
Though the 65,000-plus capacity stadium was largely empty, with only 14,312 fans showing up, a blend of Brazilian chants and South African drum beats brought a festive energy to the contest.
Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Ulsan
A first-half goal from Daniel Svensson secured Borussia Dortmund’s place in the last 16, as they claimed a 1-0 victory over South Korea’s Ulsan.
The German side started strongly, with Jobe Bellingham, Felix Nmecha and Karim Adeyemi posing a constant threat to Ulsan’s defence. Svensson broke the deadlock in the 36th minute with a close-range strike.
Ulsan goalkeeper Hyeon-Woo Jo made several impressive saves to prevent Dortmund from extending their lead, denying Serhou Guirassy’s header and strikes from Pascal Gross and Yan Couto.
Dortmund finished top of Group F, with Fluminense in second.
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