Francesco Pio Esposito leads Inter past River Plate as Serie A club wins Group E at Club World Cup; Los Millonarios eliminated

The 19-year-old scored his first goal for the club, and it arrived in the most crucial of moments as Inter claimed Group E off his strike

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• Inter defeat River 2-0 at CWC
• Serie A side wins Group E
• Argentine club eliminated from competition

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  Inter Milan defeated River Plate 2-0 on Wednesday evening in the FIFA Club World Cup in Group E action at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington. The Serie A side, with the victory, secured first place in the Group Stage, while the Argentine club was eliminated from advancing in the competition with a loss.

  A 72nd-minute goal from 19-year-old Italy youngster Francesco Pio Esposito opened the scoring for the Serie A giants, and while River played a great match, self-inflicted wounds saw them unfold late. A 65th-minute red card from central defender Lucas Martinez Quarta gave Inter a man advantage for the remainder of the match, and they capitalized on it seven minutes later with the eventual opener.

  defender Alessandro Bastoni doubled their lead in stoppage time, driving home with his left foot from the edge of the box to secure all three points. Minutes later, River were reduced to nine men after Gonzalo Montiel was handed a second yellow card.

  After the full-time whistle, a scuffle broke out on the field that saw River players tackle and hold back their own teammate, Marcos Acuna, after he charged towards Inter's Denzel Dumfries. Dumfries, meanwhile, was rushed off the pitch and into the locker room. Nothing came of the clash.

  With the result, Inter will take on Brazilian side Fluminense in the Round of 16, while the other Group E knockout round representative, CF Monterrey, will clash with Borussia Dortmund. River, meanwhile, will return to Argentina – but should hold their heads high after a hard-fought tournament.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Pio Esposito spent the 2024-25 season on loan at Spezia, where he had a breakout campaign, scoring 19 goals in Serie B.

• THE MVP

  Francesco Pio Esposito: What a moment to score your first goal for your club. The 19-year-old earned a surprise start, and he capitalized on the opportunity, putting forth a splendid performance that saw him score the game-winner. Clutch.

• THE BIG LOSER

  Lucas Martinez Quarta: The Argentine veteran, who has represented his country 15 times, was sent off midway through the second half in a reckless moment that ultimately doomed River. Lazy defending and a poorly timed tackle ruined what was otherwise a truly brilliant defensive performance. A player of his caliber cannot be making costly mistakes like this.