Triangle Hell Group E

CALIFORNIA, SUNDAY — Monterrey's scenario unfolded smoothly with a 0-0 draw against River Plate in the continuation of the Group E matches of the Club World Cup at the Rose Bowl Stadium, California, United States, on Sunday (22/6/2025 WIB). This result forced the creation of a triangular deadlock in Group E involving Inter Milan, Monterrey, and River. The three teams are competing for a ticket to the knockout stage until the final match.

Although the competition for the ticket involves three teams, Monterrey is in a slightly more advantageous position. This is because Monterrey will witness Inter Milan and River competing against each other in the final match.

The match between Inter and River is also expected to attract viewer interest. The two giant clubs from different continents have both accumulated four points. Whoever loses will likely be eliminated.

This is because Monterrey has a great chance of accompanying the group champion. Unlike Inter and River, Monterrey will face Urawa Reds, a relatively easier opponent, in the final match.

Urawa, representing Asia, no longer has any stakes in the final match as they have been eliminated after losing twice to Inter and River. Thus, three points are almost certainly to be secured by Monterrey if they do not become complacent.

The additional three points from Urawa will bring Monterrey's final point tally to five. On the other hand, Inter and River find themselves in a position where they must win to prevent their points from being surpassed by Monterrey. A draw is not an option as it poses the risk of being overtaken by Monterrey.

However, a victory alone is not enough for Monterrey. In addition to winning, another requirement to secure a ticket to the knockout stage is to win by a large margin against Urawa.

This is to anticipate that Inter and River will draw, resulting in all three teams ultimately collecting five points. In that situation, goal difference will determine which team is entitled to advance to the knockout phase.

"There are many possibilities, as River has four (points) and Inter has four (points). If we manage to defeat Urawa, we will achieve five (points) and if we win by more than one goal, we will qualify," said Monterrey Coach, Domenec Torrent, after the match.

This is the condition that Monterrey has been dreaming of since the first match. The CONCACAF representative seems to be applying the principle of being slow but safe.

They know that Inter and River are too strong to be defeated. Therefore, Monterrey played very cautiously in order to steal points from Inter and River, who have been favorites to advance to the knockout stage from the beginning.

The strategy yielded results. Although they only achieved two draws from their first two matches, Monterrey actually has a greater chance of advancing to the knockout stage.

The last match indeed created a triangular hell in Group E. However, in reality, Monterrey has a lighter task against Urawa, who have lost motivation after conceding five goals in two matches.

At a time when Monterrey was quite satisfied with two draws, including one against River, the opposite situation was felt by Marcello Gallardo. He expressed his regret after failing to conquer Monterrey. In fact, River recorded up to 18 shots, six of which were on target.

The number of shots was superior to Monterrey who only fired three shots throughout the match and only two were on target. Monterrey's expected goal (xG) was only 0.13. Meanwhile, River recorded an xG of 1.45. The xG value indicates that River should have scored one goal.

“We created some chances, but it's a shame we didn't win,” said Gallardo.

Monterrey goalkeeper, Esteban Andrada, is a central figure behind River's failure to score. The Argentine goalkeeper made six crucial saves to thwart River's golden opportunities, one of which was a precise shot from Real Madrid prospect, Franco Mastantuono.

To smooth their ambition of advancing to the knockout phase, Monterrey must address their biggest homework in this tournament, which is scoring goals. This weakness urgently needs to be resolved considering Monterrey needs to secure a significant victory over Urawa in the final match.

In two matches, Monterrey was only able to score one goal against Inter. That goal was scored through a set piece situation by Sergio Ramos, who plays as a defender. In facing Urawa, the Monterrey players need to be more creative and clinical compared to the first two matches.