In their FIFA Club World Cup encounter at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, United States, Sergio Ramos resurrected the years to score a brilliant header to seal a 1-1 draw for Monterrey.
In the 25th minute of their Group E game, the former Spain and Real Madrid defender overran the Inter defenders to score the winning goal, much to the delight of the tens of thousands of Monterrey fans who had gathered at the famed venue in Southern California on Tuesday.
In the 42nd minute, Spanish giants Inter put a superbly crafted team goal together with Lautaro Martinez’ tap in from close range from a Carlos Augusto pass.
On the fourth day of the club competition, Ramos’ goal and subsequent celebrations, both from the player and Monterrey fans, were in the spotlight.
The Monterrey captain said after the game, “There is always joy to contribute to the team by scoring, but if we can get points, that’s even better.”
“Our team played very well,” he said. Football obviously highlights the goal, but we’re here to share this knowledge.
In the second half, both teams had plenty of chances to take the lead, but a Martinez strike was flagged as offside in the 68th minute.
Inter, who lost to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on May 31 and welcomed new manager Cristian Chivu, had a difficult draw.
In the final moments of the game, Ramos, 39, claimed his team lacked energy.
We created a lot of chances for the majority of this match, but we don’t have much energy right now,” he said.
River Plate, who defeated Urawa Red Diamonds 3-1 in the previous game in Seattle, leads the group by one point each with Monterrey and Inter.
The Argentinian club won their first match against Japan with ease thanks to goals from Facundo Colidio (12 minutes), Sebastian Driussi (48 minutes), and Maximiliano Meza (73 minutes). However, the team lost their forward due to an ankle injury while registering the second goal.
Urawa was briefly re-engaged in the game after Yusuke Matsuo’s 58th-minute penalty was successfully converted, but Meza’s goal 15 minutes later cementing River Plate’s lead once more.
Inter take on Urawa on Saturday for the second matchday of the group, while Monterrey takes on River Plate.
Brazilian Serie A side Fluminense held to a goalless draw at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Tuesday, while South African Mamelodi Sundowns defeated South Korean side Ulsan HD 1-0 in Orlando, Florida.
In the 36th minute, Mamelodi, who now has three points, scored Iqraam Rayners. Fluminense and Dortmund each receive one point each.
Source: Aljazeera
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