Inter Milan maintained their composure to overcome a nine-man River Plate with a 2-0 victory, securing their place in the Club World Cup last 16 on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Mexican side Monterrey also advanced from Group E. Borussia Dortmund edged out Ulsan HD 1-0 to top Group F and will face Sergio Ramos’ Monterrey, who dominated Urawa Red Diamonds with a 4-0 win. Argentine giants River Plate were eliminated following their defeat by Inter, who will next face another South American team, Fluminense, on Monday in Charlotte. Fluminense managed only a 0-0 draw against South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, but it was sufficient to secure second place behind Dortmund. In Seattle, Champions League runners-up Inter faced a tough challenge against an aggressive River Plate side that had Lucas Martinez and Gonzalo Montiel sent off in front of 45,000 fans at Lumen Field. Francesco Esposito scored his first goal for Inter to give the Italians the lead, and Alessandro Bastoni sealed the win late in the game for Christian Chivu’s side. “In the first half we were surprised by their intensity, aggression and pressure,” said Chivu. “Then in the second half we raised our level of intensity… we’re strong, confident and have players who can play such a game.” With Monterrey leading against Urawa, River needed a win to progress, but their task became more difficult when Martinez was sent off after 66 minutes for a foul on veteran Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Six minutes later, teenage striker Esposito scored the opener, putting River on the brink. Bastoni confirmed Inter’s progress with a drilled finish before River’s Gonzalo Montiel received a second yellow card and was dismissed. There were chaotic scenes at the end as River fans threw objects at Inter players as they left the pitch. Both Argentine teams at the tournament, River and their rivals Boca Juniors, have been eliminated despite their fans creating vibrant atmospheres. “It’s a shame for all the people who came en masse to watch the team that we couldn’t give them the chance to keep going,” said a disappointed River coach Marcelo Gallardo. Three goals in a nine-minute first-half spell helped Monterrey defeat Urawa at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, in front of a crowd of only 14,000. Nelson Deossa smashed home a spectacular long-range effort to open the scoring, and German Berterame tapped in the second at the far post. Former Porto winger Jesus Corona blasted home the third with another impressive effort from over 30 yards out, and Berterame struck again late on, as the Japanese side exited with three defeats. “This is what we were looking for, we gave everything — from the first match until this one, they’ve all been tough,” said Berterame. Monterrey will face Dortmund in Atlanta on Tuesday. Dortmund on top A solitary first-half goal by Daniel Svensson earned Dortmund top spot in Group F in the intense Cincinnati heat. Dortmund’s second consecutive one-goal victory, following their 4-3 win over Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday, was witnessed by just over 8,000 spectators in Cincinnati, including US Vice President JD Vance and FIFA chief Gianni Infantino. “We can be satisfied. I think our performance was better than in the first two matches,” said Dortmund coach Niko Kovac. He has frequently mentioned the challenges posed by the scorching June heat in the United States. “What the boys are doing is incredible. Thirty-six degrees Celsius (96.8 degrees Fahrenheit) and 43 degrees in the stadium,” Kovac said. Ulsan return home with three defeats from three games, while Fluminense advance after their draw against Sundowns, meaning all four Brazilian teams in the competition have progressed to the knockout stage. Sundowns’ exit means none of the four African clubs at the tournament will feature in the last 16, but their performances allow them to leave with pride. “We leave and go home with our heads up because we are much stronger than we were when we came here,” said the South African champions’ coach, Miguel Cardoso. On Thursday, Manchester City will face Juventus in a battle for top spot in Group G, while Spanish giants Real Madrid take on RB Salzburg as they aim to progress from Group H. With AFP Inputs