River Plate defeat Urawa Red Diamonds 3-1 in dominant Club World Cup opener

SEATTLE, June 18 — River Plate kicked off their Club World Cup Group E campaign with an impressive 3-1 victory over Urawa Red Diamonds yesterday.

The Argentine giants outclassed their Japanese opponents in a lively encounter at Lumen Field, Seattle, showcasing their strength under the afternoon sun.

Despite the 69,000-seat stadium being less than a quarter full, with just under 12,000 in attendance, fans who had travelled from Japan and Argentina created a vibrant and energetic atmosphere.

“Thanks to all the River fans — we knew it would be tough for them to get here, it’s a long journey with no direct flights,” said striker Facundo Colidio, who netted River’s opening goal. “But they made it, and their support throughout the match was incredible... The venue is definitely not close to Argentina.”

South American clubs have remained undefeated so far in the expanded Club World Cup, with River adding another solid performance to that record.

River got off to a strong start, taking the lead through Colidio’s powerful header from a Marcos Acuña cross. The Red Diamonds gradually grew into the game, with goalkeeper Franco Armani forced into a sharp save from Yusuke Matsuo — though the attempt was ultimately ruled offside.

Franco Mastantuono, River’s 17-year-old rising star who will join Real Madrid after the tournament, nearly set up a second goal with a clever pass to Nacho Fernandez, whose shot went just wide. The young talent had a relatively quiet outing otherwise.

Urawa, representing Japan as 2022 Asian Champions League winners, made a costly error early in the second half. Marius Hoibraaten’s poorly judged back-header allowed Sebastian Driussi to pounce and nod the ball past goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa. Driussi was injured in the process and had to be substituted.

The Red Diamonds pulled one back when Matsuo converted a penalty after Marcos Acuña clumsily fouled Takuro Kaneko in the box, sending Armani the wrong way.

However, River restored their two-goal advantage when Maximiliano Meza was left unmarked to head in from Acuña’s corner, sealing the win.

“Unfortunately, we lost today, but we’ll learn from it and bring that into our next match,” said Matsuo.

Urawa head coach Maciej Skorza expressed frustration with the performance. “The result is disappointing. We worked hard and prepared well, but the start of the match was far from what we planned. The second half was better, but the way we conceded was too soft.”

Later in Group E, Champions League runners-up Inter Milan were set to face Mexico’s Monterrey at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. — AFP