Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Group E - CF Monterrey v Inter Milan - Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, California, U.S. - June 17, 2025 Monterrey's Sergio Ramos scores their first goal REUTERS/Daniel Cole
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -UEFA Champions League finalists Inter Milan were held 1-1 by Mexican side Monterrey in their opening Group E game at the Club World Cup in Pasadena on Tuesday.
Inter dominated possession at the outset but underdogs Monterrey struck first, grabbing the lead when 39-year-old defender Sergio Ramos leaped above two defenders to power home a header from a corner in the 25th minute.
The Italians drew level three minutes before halftime when Kristjan Asllani's floated free-kick into the box was played across the face of goal by Carlos Augusto to give Lautaro Martinez the easy tap-in.
Nelson Deossa had a golden opportunity to win it for Monterrey in stoppage time but his shot ended up in the side netting on a hot day at the Rose Bowl, where plenty of empty seats were visible.
"I think we could have scored a second goal, which we didn't unfortunately," said Inter's Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
"But this is football, we have to work hard, we have to do our best to win the next games because it's a new competition and the teams are very motivated to get out of the group stage.
"I think we have to be more aggressive in front of goal, we need to score more goals. Even today we had chances which we didn't score, unfortunately."
Tuesday's match, the first competitive meeting between the sides, saw both teams debuting new managers.
Cristian Chivu took over from Simone Inzaghi at Inter Milan shortly after their crushing 5-0 Champions League final defeat by Paris St Germain, while Spaniard Domenec Torrent was brought in at Monterrey after their disappointing start to the season.
Both teams are back in action on Saturday.
Monterrey return to the Rose Bowl to face River Plate, who beat Urawa Reds 3-1 earlier in the day, while Inter take on the Japanese side in Seattle.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles, Additional reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
