A sea of red filled Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, as 25,090 fans, mostly supporters of Urawa Red Diamonds, created a vibrant atmosphere on 21/6. Their cheers and chants resonated throughout the stadium, even after the final whistle.
Fueled by the passionate home crowd, Urawa Red Diamonds took an early lead in the 11th minute. Takuro Kaneko made a run down the right wing and crossed the ball to Ryoma Watanabe, who scored from close range. This marked the first time an Italian team had conceded a goal to an Asian club in the Club World Cup.
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Ryoma Watanabe (white shirt) celebrates his opening goal during the Urawa Red Diamonds vs Inter Milan Group E match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at Lumen Field, Washington, USA on 21/6. Photo: AS |
Ryoma Watanabe (white shirt) celebrates his opening goal during the Urawa Red Diamonds vs Inter Milan Group E match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at Lumen Field, Washington, USA on 21/6. Photo: AS
Despite dominating possession, Inter had to wait until the 78th minute to equalize. Captain Lautaro Martinez scored with an improvised bicycle kick from Nicolo Barella's left-wing corner.
In the second minute of stoppage time, substitute Valentin Carboni capitalized on a scramble in the box, scoring the winning goal for Inter.
After the match, coach Cristian Chivu praised Carboni's spirit and effort after being sidelined for eight months with a cruciate ligament injury.
"With an injury like that, you don't know if you can get back to your best. It is not easy. So it was great to see him so emotional. I was a little emotional too. It brought tears to my eyes," Inter's new coach said.
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Valentin Carboni (right) celebrates Inter's winning goal. Photo: Inter Milan |
Valentin Carboni (right) celebrates Inter's winning goal. Photo: Inter Milan
In the other Group E match, Monterrey and River Plate drew 0-0 at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, California. With these results, Urawa Red Diamonds are eliminated from the tournament, having not earned any points. Monterrey has two points, while Inter and River Plate each have four.
In the final group stage matches on 25/6, Inter will face River Plate, and Monterrey will play Urawa Red Diamonds.
Three other clubs, Ulsan Hyundai (Group F), Auckland City (Group C), and Los Angeles FC (Group D), have also been eliminated.
Compiled by Hong Duy
