Inter held to draw by Monterrey in Club World Cup opener

Updated: Jun 18, 2025, 05:06 am

Inter Milan were held to a 1-1 draw by Monterrey in the Club World Cup opener Tuesday night in the Italian power's first match since losing the Champions League final.

Veteran Spanish star Sergio Ramos scored on a stunning first-half header for Monterrey, delighting the decidedly pro-Mexico crowd in Southern California for Monterrey coach Domènec Torrent's own debut.

Lautaro Martínez levelled it late in the first half for Inter, but the Champions League finalists couldn't generate a second goal despite having nearly 62% possession while Monterrey managed only one shot on target.

Inter manager Cristian Chivu made his debut as the Nerazzurri returned to competition at the Rose Bowl just 17 days after taking that 5-0 thrashing from Paris Saint-Germain in Munich.

AP Photo/Gregory Bull

After the 39-year-old Ramos put Los Rayados ahead, Martínez answered in the 42nd minute with a tap-in of Carlos Augusto's pass after a world-class sequence of ball movement from a set piece.


"It was a very difficult match against a great rival, a Champions League finalist. We knew the physical demands it would take," Ramos said after the game.

"In the end, when you don't win and don't get the three points, obviously you don't go home 100% happy," Ramos -- the MVP of the game -- added speaking to DAZN. 

Martínez thought he scored again in the 68th minute, but was offside. Both teams narrowly missed goals in the final minutes, and Martínez picked up a yellow card in second-half injury time.

"Now we have to forget about the point we got and start thinking about the next game against River and get the three points because it would be important to get three points.

We know how difficult River is because they're a team that will compete until the last minute, because that's in Argentine blood. There [will be] constant individual battles, and we're going to go out there and give it our all to try to get a positive result," Ramos said. 

Chivu started only seven of Simone Inzaghi's side for the Champions League final. Ailing striker Marcus Thuram came on early in the second half to replace 22-year-old Sebastiano Esposito, who started his first game back from seven loan stints since his previous appearance for Inter in 2020.