Three key takeaways from Inter's win over Urawa

Mission accomplished for the Nerazzurri. Opposed to Urawa for their 2nd Club World Cup match, Chivu's men won 2-1. Not necessarily a firework, but three ultra-precious points. Here's what to remember.
✅ An expected reaction
After a disappointing draw against Monterrey (1-1), Inter had to show a different face. And that's what we saw. More aggressive, more technically sound, the Italians took control of the match from the first minutes. Result? Two goals, solid management... and confidence returning at the right time.
🎩 The Italian style
Mastery. Pressing. Patience. Inter didn't reinvent the wheel, but applied their recipe to the letter. Chivu had asked for more verticality, his players responded. Special mention to Lautaro, always clutch, and the defensive partnership, which held up despite the pressure at the end of the match. It's clean. It's serious. It's Inter.
💥 Character, finally!
When Urawa reduced the score on a penalty, we could have seen Inter tremble. But no. Heads remained cool, passes were simple, the block remained compact. A boss attitude, even if everything is not yet perfect. And that's a good sign for the rest.
River Plate arrives, strong from their victory against Monterrey. The real test is now. But with this victory in their pocket, Inter can move forward with their heads held high.
Advertisement
Inter is gaining momentum. It's not yet a great show, but the lights are green. And it smells like serious matches to come...
This article was written with the help of AI
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.
📸 Buda Mendes - 2025 Getty Images

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

New York Times

an hour ago

• New York Times

FIFA's Gianni Infantino says soccer will be ‘No. 1 sport' in U.S., urges promotion, relegation

NEW YORK — FIFA president Gianni Infantino says soccer has the potential to soon be the 'No. 1 sport here in America,' and that reaching this goal is one of FIFA's top priorities. There are just a few things the sport should consider first, Infantino said, such as exploring the introduction of promotion and relegation in American soccer. Advertisement Infantino made these bold statements in a wide-ranging fireside chat with Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz at Fanatics Fest on Sunday afternoon in New York City, before heading across the Hudson River to catch a Club World Cup match at nearby MetLife Stadium. In 'three to four, maximum five years,' Infantino said, 'it will be top, top, top. One of the top leagues in the world, for sure. And I can tell you why — because now I'm here.' That's a fast timeline based on recent data. A 2025 poll conducted by S&P Global that garnered 2,501 responses found 14 percent of surveyed 'internet adults' watch soccer, the seventh-highest figure behind the traditional 'big four' sports — baseball, basketball, football and hockey — as well as both the Winter and Summer Olympics. Of those who do watch, 76 percent said they watched men's international soccer (World Cup, Olympics), 50 percent watch women's international soccer, and 55 percent already watch MLS. As for in-person gross, Two Circles' annual review of attendance ranks soccer as the fourth most-attended sport at 8 percent of 292 million attendees in 2024. Though that gives it a narrow edge over hockey, itself at 7 percent, soccer significantly trails the share held by baseball (35 percent), basketball (22 percent) and football (20 percent). The other 8 percent includes other sports. Infantino, who lives in Miami, spoke at length about his vision for soccer in America. Aside from suggesting the nixing of the long-criticized 'pay to play' model for youth soccer, which Infantino called 'a problem here in America,' he also hinted that introducing promotion and relegation could help bring more excitement to the sport. His remarks came after Schultz asked Infantino about Wrexham's wild success in recent years, going from the subject of a Netflix series to three straight league promotions. 'This is one of the beauties of promotion and relegation,' Infantino said. 'So, in soccer, unlike any other sport, surprises are happening, and the little one can beat the big one, right? And this rarely, rarely happens in other sports, 90 percent of the time, the stronger one wins. In soccer, it's 70 percent of the time. Advertisement 'You have these surprises. You have these fairy tales of teams. … This is something you can bring in this American culture as well, where you don't have the concept of promotion and relegation, and there's something interesting that I think has to be explored.' A Cinderella story like Wrexham's, as Infantino suggested, is something that in American soccer simply hasn't happened thanks to the absence of promotion and relegation in the men's American soccer landscape. That's something that could soon change, though, with United Soccer League owners in March voting to implement the system into their leagues. Their decision challenges the tradition of Major League Soccer, which has never implemented a relegation system that's common in soccer leagues across the world. Nevertheless, Infantino's remarks show ambition to enact what would be a seismic change to how professional men's soccer has operated in the United States. The current system launched in the 1990s, when, as a condition of being awarded the hosting rights for the men's World Cup in 1994, U.S. Soccer vowed to launch a sustainable first-division league: Major League Soccer. Since its debut season in 1996, MLS has operated as a closed single-entity circuit in which all owners have vested interests in their collective success in tandem rather than each club looking out for its own interests. The approach allowed MLS to succeed where its glitzy predecessor, the NASL, failed, stability and parity, while accepting the league couldn't thrive with haves and have-nots at varying levels of operational success. Like MLS, NASL did not implement relegation. The compromises made in this format are undeniable. Few leagues around the world can match the strictness of MLS' rules and regulations, which limit how teams can spend across their entire roster and force teams to focus their expenditures on only a handful of leading players regardless of their age or pedigree. The devotion to competitive balance also keeps clubs from being able to outspend their rivals to gain an on-field edge, instead having to be crafty and work within a borderline labyrinthine set of roster rules. Advertisement As the sport's popularity has continued to spike over the past decade or more, American and Canadian fans have looked to other leagues beyond their MLS markets and taken interest in the sport's more open structure. A 2016 study by Deloitte of 'over 1,000 U.S. soccer fans,' commissioned by the owner of lower-division club Miami FC, found that 88 percent of domestic respondents 'believe (the) introduction of promotion and relegation would be beneficial for club soccer in the USA.' In that spirit, the USL — which has operated among the United States' lower divisions since 2011 — introduced an audacious aim to bring promotion and relegation to the U.S., announcing earlier this year it hoped to debut a new circuit at a first-division level to make a three-tier open system as soon as 2027. As currently designed, such a venture would not involve MLS, the nation's top league. ​​In a sit-down interview with The Athletic in 2023, MLS commissioner Don Garber left the door open for the league to one day consider adopting a promotion and relegation model. 'I don't see any reason why, at the right time, if we're able to accommodate it as it relates to schedule and players and the ecosystem of MLS, why we couldn't have more teams in the future,' Garber said at the time. 'But this is an example of — life is a long time. We do not need to expand. We expand so that we can build our fan base. We build our fan base, which drives revenue, we drive revenue and we can invest that money back into the sport.' Ultimately, it will be up to MLS' owners — who come to decisions through votes held by the board of governors, taking cues from various committees among its membership — to determine whether it wants to finally move forward with opening the system. The Athletic has reached out to MLS for comment on Infantino's remarks. Infantino's remarks aren't the first sign that MLS might need to embrace the winds of change — far from it, in fact. However, this latest in a seemingly endless series of major summer tournaments has shown that leagues beyond Europe's elite can contend at the highest levels if set up for success. Though both the Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles have been competitive in their Club World Cup matches, both teams enter the final group stage match without a single point.

Yahoo

an hour ago

• Yahoo

Hankook Cements Its Tire Supremacy at the 2025 Jakarta E-Prix

GEN3 Evo iON Race Tires Triumph in Jakarta's Sweltering Round 12 Showdown Dan Ticktum conquers Jakarta's sweltering heat in a commanding drive at the Jakarta International E-Prix Circuit GEN3 Evo iON Race tires excel in grip, heat resistance, and stability across Jakarta's technically demanding layout and extreme track conditions The Season 11 title fight intensifies as Formula E leaves Asia behind and prepares for decisive final rounds in Berlin and London JAKARTA, Indonesia, June 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Under Jakarta's unforgiving tropical heat, Hankook Tire & Technology (hereafter Hankook), a leading global tire company under the Hankook & Company Group, reinforced its performance leadership at the 2025 Jakarta E-Prix—Round 12 of the 2024/2025 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (hereafter Formula E). After a one-season hiatus, Formula E roared back to action on the Jakarta International E-Prix Circuit (hereafter JIEC), a fiercely technical track set against the energetic backdrop of the Ancol waterfront. Dan Ticktum secured a decisive victory—injecting new momentum into the escalating championship battle. Oliver Rowland maintained his lead in the drivers' standings with 172 points, while TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team further solidified its dominance at the top of the teams' standings with 203 points. The track, inspired by the flowing movements of the traditional Javanese Kuda Lumping dance, the 2.37km circuit pushed all 22 drivers to their limits with a mix of sweeping corners, tight technical sections, and scarce overtaking zones—made even more punishing by Jakarta's humidity and track surface temperatures exceeding 40°C. Engineered exclusively by Hankook for Formula E, the GEN3 Evo iON Race tire proved pivotal in Jakarta's extreme conditions. Each team's two allocated sets delivered consistent grip, thermal resilience, and control—empowering drivers to push the limits through the circuit's most challenging sections without compromising performance or safety. Maximilian Günther of DS Penske commented: "Jakarta's climate and circuit layout really test both the driver and the car to the edge. The GEN3 Evo iON Race tire handled the heat and surface complexity incredibly well. It gave me the confidence to attack and defend—even in the tightest corners. What's most impressive is how consistent the tire feels across conditions like this—something that clearly carries over into road tire technology too." As Formula E concludes its Asia tour, the spotlight now shifts to the decisive final stretch of Season 11. Next up is the 2025 Hankook Berlin E-Prix, taking place on July 12 & 13—marking the penultimate double-header of the season and the final race to carry the Hankook race title sponsorship this season. As the championship race heats up, Hankook continues to lead the charge in electric motorsport innovation—delivering sustainable, high-performance tire solutions that extend beyond the racetrack and drive the future of global e-mobility. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Hankook Tire & Technology Co., Ltd. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Fox Sports

an hour ago

• Fox Sports

Freytes scored go-ahead goal in 83rd, Fluminense beats Ulsan 4-2 at Club World Cup

Associated Press EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Juan Freytes scored the go-ahead goal in the 83rd minute and Fluminense beat Ulsan 4-2 in the Club World Cup on Saturday night. Jhon Arias bent a 25-yard free kick inside the right post and under the crossbar in the 27th minute to open the scoring for Fluminense. Lee Jin-hyun, on the counterattack, put away a cross played by Um Wonsang into a wide-open net to tie it in the 37th and Um scored on diving header, off a low ball-in played by Lee, in first-half stoppage time to give Ulsan a 2-1 lead at halftime. Gustavo Nonato Santana — known as 'Nonato' — stopped a clearance attempt near the top of the penalty area and tapped a shot inside the right post in the 66th minute to tie the score 2-2. Marcos da Silva França — known as 'Keno' — capped the scoring in the second minute of stoppage time. Ulsan goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo made a diving stop in the second minute and moments later had a leaping one-hand parry. The game drew 29,321 to MetLife Stadium, which has a capacity of 82,500. Key moment Freytes put away a first-touch finish, off a cross played by German Cano, from point-blank range for his first career goal with Fluminense to take the lead for good. Takeaways Fluminense is tied with Borussia Dortmund atop Group F and can clinch a berth in the knockout round with win or a draw against the Mamelodi Sundowns on Wednesday. Ulsan, which plays Dortmund on Wednesday, was eliminated from reaching the knockout round. What they said 'I think we gave it all. Like, we left nothing on the field, so we cannot be anything other than satisfied with our performance. We played a very good team, so it's not only up to us. Sadly, we couldn't keep up in the second half.' — Gustav Ludwigson, Ulsan midfielder 'We knew if we played (in the second half) with the intensity that we did against Borussia, we could win this game. That is what we changed (at halftime): mindset.' Nonato, Fluminense midfielder ___ AP soccer: in this topic