Online Desk : Inter Milan staged a dramatic late comeback to defeat Urawa Red Diamonds 2-1 at Lumen Field in Seattle on Saturday, eliminating the Japanese side from the Club World Cup.
Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund edged a wild 4-3 contest against South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns in sweltering conditions in Cincinnati.
Urawa took an early lead through Ryoma Watanabe, igniting a passionate showing from their travelling supporters. But Inter’s captain Lautaro Martinez — who also scored in their tournament opener against Monterrey — produced a brilliant overhead kick in the 78th minute to level the match.
The decisive moment came deep into stoppage time when 20-year-old Valentin Carboni, making his first competitive appearance in months after recovering from a serious knee injury, coolly sidefooted home the winner. It was his first match for Inter in over two years.
“Our opponents play with their hearts and to counter that, we need to play with more pride, be humble and know how to suffer,” Martinez told DAZN post-match.
Inter now sit provisionally top of Group E with four points, one ahead of Argentina’s River Plate, who were set to face Monterrey later on Saturday in Pasadena. Urawa, with two defeats from two, are officially out of contention. “Our emotion is very bad... we can only fight in the last game for a win,” said Urawa coach Maciej Skorza.
Earlier in the day, Borussia Dortmund came through a seven-goal battle to defeat Mamelodi Sundowns 4-3 and move to four points in Group F.
Sundowns stunned the Germans early with a dazzling solo goal from Lucas Ribeiro, but goalkeeper Ronwen Williams gifted Dortmund an equaliser, passing the ball directly to Felix Nmecha. Serhou Guirassy then continued his prolific form, putting Dortmund 2-1 up with his 35th goal of the season.
The spotlight soon fell on Jobe Bellingham, who marked his first start for Dortmund — following in the footsteps of his brother Jude — with a composed finish to make it 3-1 just before halftime. A Khuliso Mudau own goal extended the lead to 4-1, before Sundowns mounted a spirited fightback with late goals from Iqraam Rayners and Lebo Mothiba.
"It was tough going for both teams, but the opposition are used to the heat. We certainly didn’t give our best performance, but that wasn’t possible today," said Dortmund coach Niko Kovac, reflecting on the intense midday conditions.
Despite the defeat, Sundowns still have a mathematical chance to qualify from the group. "It was a hell of a match. I`m not happy, but very proud," said their coach, Miguel Cardoso.
Group F action was set to continue later on Saturday as Fluminense, who held Dortmund to a 0-0 draw in their opener, faced Ulsan of South Korea at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.
