Inter Milan came from behind to beat Urawa Red Diamonds 2-1 in the Club World Cup, keeping their knockout stage qualification hopes alive with a dramatic late victory.
Inter Milan kept their Club World Cup hopes alive with a thrilling 2-1 comeback win over Urawa Red Diamonds in Seattle.
The Japanese side took the lead through Ryoma Watanabe’s 11th-minute strike, but Inter’s Lautaro Martinez leveled the score with a spectacular overhead kick in the 77th minute. Inter substitute Valentin Carboni sealed the win with a stoppage-time strike, eliminating Urawa from the competition.
Despite dominating the first half, Inter struggled with their finishing, with all nine of their attempts missing the target. Watanabe’s goal came after Inter failed to track his run, allowing him to round off a slick counter-attack with a low finish. Inter captain Martinez had a header crash off the crossbar eight minutes later.
Inter ramped up the pressure in the second half, with 12 shots, including Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s effort that missed the target with the goal gaping. Urawa maintained their defensive discipline while retaining a threat on the break, but ultimately couldn’t hold on for the win.
The win puts Inter on four points, level with Group E leaders River Plate, who drew 0-0 with Monterrey. However, River Plate tops the group due to a better goal difference, having conceded one goal fewer than Inter.
