Inter celebrated their qualification for the Club World Cup round of 16, securing first place in their group with a 2-0 victory over River Plate. However, the final moments of the match were overshadowed by tension. A heated verbal confrontation erupted between the two wing-backs, Marcos Acuña and Denzel Dumfries, who had been in intense duels throughout the game. The situation escalated after Inter`s second goal and particularly at the final whistle.
So much so that many teammates rushed to restrain the Dutch player. The first to intervene was his coach, Cristian Chivu, with a swift sprint from the bench – his immediate action despite celebrating this first significant achievement in his new role.
Chivu also received a rating of 7 in the match reports. The justification cited his approach: `He had to secure qualification and for this, barring one name, he largely relied on certainties and veterans. River Plate pressed aggressively throughout the first half, but his team found countermeasures as the match progressed and made them count in the second half. A bit of luck helped, but the decision to start Pio Esposito wasn`t accidental. And ruthlessness is part of the recipe for greatness.`
Dumfries, on the other hand, was rated 6: `The idea was to leverage the fact that he is physically one of Inter`s most imposing players. In practice, he made several runs that, however, did not translate into an assist or a decisive play. Perhaps also due to some debatable refereeing whistles.`
