By Andrea Caropreso
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The second matchday of the Club World Cup has concluded, and the group standings are beginning to take shape. Both Italian teams, Inter and Juventus, won their respective matches as favorites against Urawa Reds Diamond and Wydad Casablanca. However, their standings are quite different. Chivu’s Inter will need to beat River Plate to guarantee progression to the next round, while Juventus is already assured of reaching the round of 16 and will only be playing for first place against Manchester City on Thursday.
Inter struggle but prevail thanks to their captain
There are several excuses that could explain Chivu’s Inter’s less-than-stellar performance, but they still got the job done thanks to goals from Lautaro and Carboni, fixing a group standing that was looking grim until the 75th minute. Inter initially went behind against Urawa Reds but created several chances, especially through captain Lautaro.
Chivu’s new team is far from its best form, partly due to absences (notably Thuram and Dumfries out with injury) and partly due to natural fatigue after a season of over 60 games. What matters, however, is that they secured three crucial points for continuing their World Cup journey. Next up for Inter is the historic River Plate. The level will rise significantly, and Chivu will need to find the right tactics to stop the Argentinians.
Juve: Yildiz show against Wydad Casablanca
Few problems so far for Tudor’s Juventus in the Club World Cup. After thrashing Al Ain in their opening match, the Bianconeri put in another dominant display, crushing Wydad Casablanca 4-1. Much of the credit goes to the outstanding Kenan Yildiz. The talented youngster wearing the No. 10 shirt ran the show, completely unsettling defender Guilherme Ferreira.
First, he forced an own goal with a dangerous cross-shot, then he launched a missile from outside the box to make it 2-0. Juventus then let their guard down and conceded a goal from a throw-in play. However, in the second half they rarely looked in trouble, and with another fine move between Thuram and Yildiz, they made it 3-1 with 15 minutes to go.
In the final minutes, outgoing striker Vlahovic earned and converted a penalty, adding a vital goal for Juventus’ goal difference. The Bianconeri can now even draw against City to secure first place to go to the next draw of the World Cup.
Other results
Elsewhere in the Club World Cup, Jobe Bellingham made headlines, following in the footsteps of his brother Jude and leading Borussia Dortmund to a crucial 4-3 victory over South Africa’s Mamelodi. The match seemed wrapped up early on, but Dortmund risked it late by conceding two quick goals that nearly reopened the contest.
No such trouble for Manchester City and Real Madrid in the World Cup, who dominated Al Ain and Pachuca, respectively. City completed a 6-0 rout, while Madrid—despite going down to ten men after just seven minutes—defeated Pachuca 3-1. The other Mexican side involved, however, failed to score against River Plate. The Argentinians dominated the game but only came close to scoring through Colidio and Mastantuono.
The same scoreline (0-0) was seen in the late-night clash between Salzburg and Al Hilal, a result that pleased the Austrians more than Inzaghi’s Saudis. Salzburg can now advance to the round of 16 with a draw against Real Madrid, as long as Al Hilal don’t achieve a massive win over Pachuca on the final day.
