Inter Milan secured their first victory in the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup 2025 with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds. The Italian club found themselves in early trouble after conceding in the 11th minute and trailed for much of the match. However, a late resurgence saw Lisandro Martínez equalise in the 78th minute before Valentin Carboni netted a dramatic winner in stoppage time to complete the comeback.
With this victory, Inter now sit second in Group E with four points from two matches.
The win also marked Cristian Chivu’s first competitive victory as Inter Milan’s head coach. As quoted by the club’s official website after the match, Chivu expressed satisfaction with his team’s effort and praised the opponents for their organisation and discipline.
“We played well. It was a professional performance where we tried everything to score and cause problems for them. They were really organised,” Chivu said. “In the second half, with Pio on, we tried to make the most of crosses, and we kept believing until the end. I’m proud; the boys gave everything they had.”
“I’m especially happy for Valentin” – Chivu
Chivu also highlighted the performance of Valentin Carboni, who not only scored the winning goal but was also making his return from a long injury layoff.
“I could talk a lot about Valentin, but I could just as easily mention Pio, Luis Henrique, and Sucic – they all gave a lot. I’m especially happy for Valentin because it was his first match since his injury,” Chivu added. “Yesterday marked eight months since the last time he stepped on the pitch. He’s worked so hard to get here, and seeing him happy is really pleasing.”
Chivu also reflected on the tactical challenges his side faced during the match, especially against a defensively compact Urawa side.
“It’s tough to talk about formations and systems against a team that sits that deep,” he explained. “I liked how we looked for width and made quick runs in behind when we had two players just off the striker. I would’ve liked to keep trying that until the end of the game, but given we fell behind, we had to push numbers into the box and try to make something happen from crosses.”
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