River lost to Inter Milan and was eliminated from the Club World Cup in the group stage. El Millonario was already being eliminated due to the result of the Rayados de Monterrey - Urawa Red Diamonds match, but its 2-0 defeat against the Italian side ultimately sealed its fate.
At the beginning of the match, River played on equal terms with Inter and both teams shared the roles: El Millonario controlled possession and the Nerazzurri had the clearest chances. This was the tone throughout the first half, which was highlighted by the bookings of Gonzalo Montiel for the Argentine team and Alessandro Bastoni for the Italian side.
However, even though the club from Núñez was managing a draw, the result of the Monterrey - Urawa match was eliminating it. In a burst, the Mexican team scored three goals in less than 10 minutes (Deossa in the 30th, Beltrame in the 34th, and Corona in the 39th). With this result, River was being eliminated, since it needed to win or draw by two goals or more.
Knowing the result of the other match and needing to score goals, River would adopt a slightly more offensive role in the second half, but it was Inter who would have the clearest chances. Taking advantage of the spaces left by El Millonario, the Nerazzurri nearly scored an own goal through Acuña, had a shot from Dimarco that went just wide, and a one-on-one between Lautaro Martínez and Armani.
From this point on, the match became a constant back-and-forth, with Inter as the main protagonist of the most dangerous attacks. In this scenario, Gallardo would make his first two substitutions, Nacho Fernández, Lanzini, and Constantini, who has only a few minutes in the first team, for Meza, Kranevitter, and Aliendro.
To make matters worse, River would be left with one less player in the 66th minute after Martínez Quarta was sent off, an advantage that Inter would use to increase its attacking pressure.
After several attempts, finally in the 72nd minute the Milan club would score thanks to Francesco Esposito, who finished comfortably against an Armani who could do little.
