Francesco Esposito celebrates scoring Inter Milan's first goal in their 2025 Fifa Club World Cup Group E win against River Plate at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington on Wednesday.
Image: Reuters/Agustin Marcarian

Inter Milan scored twice in the last 18 minutes to beat River Plate 2-0 on Wednesday night and progress to the knockout stage of the Club World Cup as Group E winners and send the Argentines home.

Teenager Francesco Esposito broke the deadlock in the match played in the early hours of Thursday morning in South Africa, soon after River had been reduced to 10 men by the dismissal of Lucas Martinez Quarta with Alessandro Bastoni adding the second in stoppage time.

The 20-time Italian champions will face Brazilian club Fluminense in the last 16 in Charlotte on Monday with Monterrey, who beat Urawa Red Diamonds 4-0, going through in second place a point ahead of River.

An intense match turned nasty after Bastoni's goal with River's Gonzalo Montiel also sent off for two yellow cards during a series of melees which continued as the players left the field under a shower of missiles from the crowd.

“We have the job done. We qualify for the further stage of this competition. We are pleased with that,” said Inter coach Cristian Chivu.

“The game was very tough for us in the first half, River had a lot of aggression, a lot of intensity. In the second half, we controlled the game a little bit better and ... after the red card it was much easier for us.”

Martinez Quarta's exit for bringing down Henrikh Mkhitaryan as the last defender turned the match with the first Inter goal coming seven minutes later.

Esposito took a neat touch on Petar Sucic's pass to get onto his right foot before turning and lashing the ball into the net.

River were spent by the time Bastoni skipped through the tiring defence to add Inter's second with a low left-foot strike five minutes into stoppage time.

The packed ranks of River fans at Lumen Field ensured a rocking atmosphere from the start and they were treated to a full-blooded clash with plenty of endeavour but no goals until the last quarter.

River's best moves came through Real Madrid-bound Franco Mastantuono, but the 17-year-old midfielder only managed to get one of his handful of shots on target.

Esposito also had a couple of good chances to open the scoring and his skipper Lautaro Martinez was particularly profligate, hitting the post with the best of his host of openings.

River's Facundo Colidio headed the ball straight at Inter keeper Yann Sommer with a gilt-edged chance in the 64th minute but the forward was substituted in a tactical rejig a minute later after Martinez Quarta had been sent off. 

In the concurrent match, Monterrey booked a spot in the knockout rounds a 4-0 thumping of Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds 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 the Mexican side on their way to victory, with stunning long-range strikes from Nelson Deossa and Jesus Corona coming either side of German 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 scored the fourth in second-half stoppage time.

The win, coupled with Inter's 2-0 victory over River, means Monterrey finish second and will take on Dortmund in Atlanta on Tuesday.