Late Carboni Strike Rescues Inter as Japanese Resilience Almost Causes Another Setback

Inter Milan came within minutes of a third straight match without victory — following their Champions League final debacle — but a stoppage-time winner from Valentín Carboni secured a hard-fought 2–1 win over Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds at the FIFA Club World Cup.

For long stretches, this match evoked memories of Celtic’s famous 2–1 win over Barcelona, when the Scottish side triumphed despite having just 11% possession. Urawa, similarly outmatched on paper, hovered just above 13% ball possession for most of the evening — and yet they led for over an hour.

Their only attack in the opening phase proved devastatingly effective. In the 11th minute, Takuro Kaneko found Kaito Watanabe unmarked in the box, and the forward slotted home with his first touch into the near corner — 1–0 to the underdogs.

From that point on, the match was a lesson in statistical domination without conversion. Inter monopolised the ball, switching flanks, probing through the middle, and firing shots from all angles — but to no avail. Their best chance of the half came when Lautaro Martínez met a cross with a powerful header, only to be denied by the crossbar.

Urawa retreated into a deep block for the second half, rarely venturing forward. Inter, meanwhile, kept piling on the pressure — though increasingly without precision. By the 66th minute, the shot count was 15–1 in the Italians’ favour, yet the only effort on target remained Watanabe’s opener.

But Inter’s persistence was finally rewarded in the 78th minute. Lautaro, with his back to goal, managed to twist and fire beyond the keeper — 1–1, and a sigh of relief for Cristian Chivu’s side.

Still, Urawa refused to fold. They continued to defend as a unit and looked on course for a historic result. But in the second minute of added time, the pressure told. A deflected ball fell to Valentín Carboni at the edge of the box, and the young Argentine guided it perfectly into the far corner — sending Inter fans into celebration and eliminating Urawa from the tournament.

Inter now prepare for a decisive final group match against River Plate. For Urawa, the dream ends here — but not without a defiant display.

2025 FIFA Club World Cup

Inter Milan - Urawa Red Diamonds 2:1 (0:1)
Goals: Watanabe, 11 (0:1); Martínez L., 78 (1:1); Carboni V., 92 (2:1)

Inter Milan: Sommer; de Vrij; Carlos Augusto; Dimarco (Bastoni, 72); Darmian; Asllani K. (Carboni V., 72); Barella; Zalewski (Mkhitaryan, 46); Martínez L.; Luis Henrique T.L. (Sučić P., 85); Esposito Se. (Pio Esposito, 46)
Bench: Di Gennaro; Martínez J-p; Calligaris; Acerbi; Palacios T.; Cocchi; De Pieri; Berenbruch

Urawa Red Diamonds: Nishikawa; Danilo Boza; Ishihara; Höibraten; Yasui; Gustafson (Haraguchi, 87); Watanabe; Kaneko (Sekine, 65); Naganuma (Ogiwara, 87); Matheus Savio (Matsumoto, 79); Matsuo (Thiago S., 79)
Bench: Niekawa; Yoshida; Nemoto; Inoue; Okubo; Hayakawa; Nakajima; Komori; Takahashi; Nitta
Yellow Cards: Nishikawa 61; Sekine 67; Thiago S. 80