Sergio Ramos gives Inter a scare in Club World Cup stalemate
THE 39-YEAR-OLD Spanish great Sergio Ramos scored as Monterrey held Inter Milan 1-1 in a hard-fought Fifa Club World Cup Group E opener in Pasadena on Tuesday.
Argentine striker Lautaro Martinez scored a well-worked equaliser to cancel out Ramos's opener for the Mexican side in front of 40,311 fans at the Rose Bowl.
Inter, playing their first game since being thrashed 5-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final, were left ruing their failure to turn their dominance of possession and territory into goals.
But the draw was a boost for Ramos and Monterrey, who face Argentina's River Plate in their next game on Saturday.
Inter coach Cristian Chivu said his team had struggled to break down a Monterrey team who sat deep for long periods.
Advertisement
'We played well in the first half even though we went behind,' Chivu said. 'We could have attacked better in the second half. It's not easy to play against a very low block.'
Chivu, in his first match in charge after the departure of Simone Inzaghi, denied the Champions League finalists had underestimated the Mexicans.
'We respect every team we play and we knew what kind of team they were, we tried to do our best,' he said.
The Italians were in complete control almost from the kick-off, yet despite the early onslaught, Inter were rocked in the 25th minute when Monterrey scored from one of their few forays into the Italians' half.
Midfielder Oliver Torres swung a corner in from the right and Ramos — who had lost Francesco Acerbi on the edge of the six-yard box — steered his header into the bottom corner.
Inter drew level on 39 minutes with a wonderfully worked free-kick routine.
Albanian international Kristjan Asllani shaped to shoot from 25 yards out but instead flighted a delicate chip behind the Monterrey defence.
Brazilian international Carlos Augusto timed his run to perfection and squared into the path of Martinez, who tapped in for 1-1.
Meanwhile, Mamelodi Sundowns got off to a winning start with a 1-0 victory over South Korean side Ulsan HD on Tuesday in a match delayed by a weather warning and played before largely empty stands.
The South African side went top of Group F in front of a crowd given as 3,412 after Borussia Dortmund and Fluminense drew 0-0 earlier.
A weather warning pushed back kick-off by just over an hour for one of the less enticing group clashes in the expanded FIFA tournament, which has so far not succeeded in filling grounds for every match.
– © AFP 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
4 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Real Madrid move closer to Club World Cup knockout stages with win over Pachuca
Asencio was sent off in the seventh minute for hauling down Salomon Rondon and things looked bleak for the Spanish giants, who had been held to a frustrating draw by Al Hilal in their opening match, and were missing Kylian Mbappe due to illness. But after soaking up a spell of pressure, Real broke the deadlock through Jude Bellingham in the 35th minute before Arda Guler doubled the lead ahead of half-time. Federico Valverde volleyed in a third with 20 minutes left, before the Mexicans grabbed a late consolation through Elias Montiel's deflected effort. Real Madrid conclude their Group H fixtures against Red Bull Salzburg in Philadelphia on June 26. Kenan Yildiz scored twice as Juventus seized control of Group G with a 4-1 win over Wydad Casablanca. The Italian side, who opened their campaign by thumping Al Ain 5-0, were tested by the Moroccans for whom Thembinkosi Lorch's effort sparked thunderous celebrations. Yildiz had a hand in Juve's opener after six minutes when his shot was deflected in by Wydad defender Abdelmounaim Boutouil. Yildiz doubled Juve's advantage after 16 minutes when he lashed int the top corner from the edge of the box, before Lorch gave Wydad hope with a cool chip to reduce the deficit after 25 minutes. Wydad pushed for an equaliser but Juventus rode out with the storm with Andrea Cambiaso striking the woodwork before Yildiz grabbed his side's third after 70 minutes and Dusan Vlahovic completed victory with an injury time penalty. River Plate and Monterrey fought out a goalless draw in Group E, with the former having Kevin Castano sent off in injury time.
The Irish Sun
5 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Pep Guardiola warns he will swing the axe to trim Man City squad with 17 stars' futures in doubt
PEP GUARDIOLA has warned he will have to swing the axe to trim his Manchester City squad. England trio Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips were left at home when City boss Guardiola named a Advertisement 3 Pep Guardiola is ready for a summer overhaul at Man City Credit: Getty 3 Jack Grealish, out of favour under Pep, is being targeted by Napoli Credit: Alamy 3 Defender John Stones wants to stay and battle for a place next season Credit: Getty And midfielder Ilkay Gundogan is the latest star to be linked with a move away from the Etihad Guardiola said: 'With Ilkay, no news is good news. I don't know anything and I didn't speak with him. 'But at the same time we have — right now — a long squad, too many players. We cannot go with 26, 27 players this season because there would be more not playing. 'Step by step maybe a few players are going to move.' Advertisement READ MORE ON FOOTBALL Guardiola says his squad is currently too large - despite the demands of competing for the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup. The Etihad chief has brought in seven new faces during the calendar year ... and now has more than THIRTY outfield men. So several will either be sent out on loan or sold before the transfer window closes at the end of August. Guardiola admits it will be agonising to show the door to some players he would rather keep with him - but feels he must be fair to those who would rarely feature. Advertisement Most read in Football Breaking BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK The Spaniard, 54, added: 'I would love to have the players that we have now all season. I would love it. 'I don't have any complaints about the players, how they behave. Kyle Walker seals Everton deal & Grealish to Napoli, Newcastle & Spurs STILL ON | Transfers Exposed 'The problem is they will be unhappy during the season. Advertisement 'They will be sad, they will be disappointed. I don't want that. 'For me it's not a problem. I have more selection and I don't like six, seven players, just in case, no injuries, being at home. 'So I do it that way. I do that for them. That's why we have to see what happens. We still have a long time, I would say, until the transfer window will be closed. We'll see what happens step by step.' Promising midfielder James McAtee, 22, is likely to leave after deciding to go to the Euros with England Under-21s rather than join City in the USA. Advertisement There is a question mark over the future of Croatian midfielder Who stays and who goes at Man City? AFTER a disappointing 2024-25 season, Pep Guardiola is overhauling his Manchester City squad. SunSport's MARTIN BLACKBURN analyses the state of play at the Etihad . . . INS Newcomers Tijjani Reijnders from Milan, Rayan Cherki from Lyon, Wolves' Rayan Ait-Nouri and former Chelsea goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli bolster the squad. The likes of Stefan Ortega, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Josko Gvardiol, Manuel Akanji, Bernardo Silva, Savinho, Omar Marmoush, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku and a fit-again Rodri are staying as they bid to improve on last year's below-par campaign. OUTS Loyal servant Kyle Walker, 35, looks to have kicked his last ball for City. Jack Grealish is also on the move from the Etihad, with Napoli the frontrunners for the wideman — who cost Pep's side £100million in 2021. Kalvin Phillips, James McAtee and Maximo Perrone are also heading for the exit door. MAYBES The futures of keeper Ederson, John Stones, Rico Lewis, Vitor Reis, Abdukodir Khusanov, Nico O'Reilly, Mateo Kovacic, Ilkay Gundogan, Nico Gonzalez, Matheus Nunes, Claudio Echeverri and Oscar Bobb are not yet set in stone. Most will be kept but some will go — either permanently or on loan — to free up space in the squad. Defender John Stones had a disastrous season — missing 34 games due to injuries — and is heading into the final year of his contract. He has been linked But the 31-year-old is determined to see out the next 12 months and complete a decade at the Etihad rather than look for a new challenge. Advertisement Asked if he has heard anything from the club about a new deal, Stones said: 'Nothing really, But I'm here and I want to stay here. 'I love it. I'm here to help the team. I don't know what's been said or speculated, but I hope that shuts it down.' Yenan Yildiz struck twice as City's final Group G opponents Juventus beat Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca 4-1 at the Club World Cup. Striker Yildiz had earlier forced defender Abdelmounaim Boutouil to turn the ball into his own net for the opener, while Dusan Vlahovic's penalty wrapped up the Italian giants' win. Advertisement
RTÉ News
5 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Real Madrid move closer to CWC knockout stages with win over Pachuca
Real Madrid shrugged off an early red card for Raul Asencio to move closer to the knockout stages of the Club World Cup after a 3-1 win over Mexican side Pachuca in Charlotte. Asencio was sent off in the seventh minute for hauling down Salomon Rondon and things looked bleak for the Spanish giants, who had been held to a frustrating draw by Al Hilal in their opening match, and were missing Kylian Mbappe due to illness. But after soaking up a spell of pressure, Real broke the deadlock through Jude Bellingham in the 35th minute before Arda Guler doubled the lead ahead of half-time. Federico Valverde volleyed in a third with 20 minutes left, before the Mexicans grabbed a late consolation through Elias Montiel's deflected effort. Real Madrid conclude their Group H fixtures against Red Bull Salzburg in Philadelphia on June 26. Kenan Yildiz scored twice as Juventus seized control of Group G with a 4-1 win over Wydad Casablanca. The Italian side, who opened their campaign by thumping Al Ain 5-0, were tested by the Moroccans for whom Thembinkosi Lorch's effort sparked thunderous celebrations. Yildiz had a hand in Juve's opener after six minutes when his shot was deflected in by Wydad defender Abdelmounaim Boutouil. Yildiz doubled Juve's advantage after 16 minutes when he lashed int the top corner from the edge of the box, before Lorch gave Wydad hope with a cool chip to reduce the deficit after 25 minutes. Wydad pushed for an equaliser but Juventus rode out with the storm with Andrea Cambiaso striking the woodwork before Yildiz grabbed his side's third after 70 minutes and Dusan Vlahovic completed victory with an injury time penalty.
