River and Monterrey’s fate still up in the air as Inter and Fluminense face scares in the World Cup

River Plate and Monterrey left their Club World Cup fates hanging with a scoreless draw on Saturday in the decisive Battle of Los Angeles—just hours after Inter Milan and Fluminense narrowly avoided shocking early exits.

Argentinians and Mexicans ignited a fiery clash marked by ten yellow cards and one sending-off—Kevin Castaño, the Millon midfielder, in the 90+1st minute—at the iconic Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, where the stands were awash in each team's colors.

Esteban Andrada, former Boca Juniors goalkeeper and longtime rival of River Plate, spoiled Marcelo Gallardo’s hopes of securing an early spot in the round of 16 and avoiding a dangerous showdown with Inter in the final Group E match.

“The draw isn’t a bad result for us—we just have to go for the win on the final matchday,” said the goalkeeper.

The first World Cup match between Latin American teams, which drew 57,393 spectators, also featured a showdown between two players with Real Madrid ties: Argentine prospect Franco Mastantuono, recently signed by Los Blancos, and former Merengue captain Sergio Ramos, now a defender for Monterrey.

The draw left the popular Buenos Aires club atop the standings with four points.

They’ll need at least a draw on Wednesday to secure a spot against the Nerazzurri, who also have four points. Meanwhile, Monterrey (2 points) must beat Urawa Red Diamonds (0 points), who are already eliminated, on the same day.

"We are in the fight and, well, we are going to go out and win the last game to be in," said Mastantuono.

Argentines save Inter

In a tough tournament for European teams, Inter pulled off a 2-1 comeback thanks to Argentine goals from Lautaro Martinez and Valentin Carboni to defeat the Japanese side earlier in the Mundialito.

The Italian squad came dangerously close to suffering the same fate as other European giants like Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, who recently faced early exits.

An 11th-minute goal from Japan’s Ryoma Watanabe set off alarm bells for the reigning European Champions League runners-up at Lumen Field in Seattle.

The team, now coached by Romanian Cristian Chivu, struggled to recover for nearly 70 minutes and sank close to the bottom of the standings.

In the 78th minute, the captain restored their honor with a half-chilena volley from a corner, and the young Carboni sealed the win in the 90+2’ by slotting home a loose ball in the box.

“We had to show our pride. We didn’t want this situation—we had to fight through it,” Martínez, known as "El Toro," told DAZN with relief.

Flu looks to the round of 16

After Inter’s tough battle, Fluminense beat another Asian team, Ulsan, 4-2—but the scoreline didn’t fully reflect the challenge they faced.

MetLife Stadium, just outside New York, hosted a back-and-forth duel where the South Korean squad eventually took a 2-1 lead.

Goals from Jin-hyun Lee (37') and Won-sang Um (45+3') erased a brilliant free-kick strike by Colombian Jhon Arias (27').

But the Brazilians turned things around with goals from midfielder Nonato (66'), Argentine Juan Pablo Freytes (83'), and Keno (90+2').

With this result, the Rio de Janeiro team took the lead in Group F with four points, tied with Borussia Dortmund.

To advance, Fluminense will need only a draw on Wednesday against South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, who have three points, while Ulsan remain winless and are already eliminated.

"Our technical and tactical level made the difference," Arias told DAZN. "We are content, happy, knowing that we have everything in our hands to qualify."

Bellingham opens in the heat

The day kicked off with another near-upset as Dortmund edged Mamelodi Sundowns 4-3.

Melted by the 30ºC of Cincinnati, the German squad ended up asking for the hour in a game they came to dominate 4-1.

The game also featured the first goal for Englishman Jobe Bellingham (45'), younger brother of Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham, playing for the popular black-and-white team.

Dortmund,who fell behind early to a goal from Brazilian Lucas Ribeiro (11'), responded with goals from German Felix Nmecha (16'), Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy (34'), and an own goal by South Africa’s Khuliso Mudau (59').

Africans Iqraam Rayners (62') and Lebo Mothiba (90') pulled Mamelodi Sundowns within one goal of a draw.

"I'm sweating like I've just come out of a sauna," said Dortmund coach Niko Kovac, who had earlier noted that the tournament’s heat favors teams from the “south.”