PASADENA, Calif. -- Monterrey advanced to the knockout stages of the Club World Cup on Wednesday, comfortably beating Urawa Red Diamonds 4-0 and finishing second in Group E.
The last of the Rose Bowl’s Club World Cup matches was also the first ever meeting between the Japanese and Mexican sides. But the novelty of the fixture was contrasted by an underwhelming turnout of 14,312 - emblematic of the tournament’s continuous struggle to position itself.
Still, for Monterrey, the stakes were higher than the empty stands suggested. With two draws, they needed a win against the pointless Red Diamonds if they were going to stand any chance of advancing. Thankfully for the Rayados’ supporters who did show up, their team delivered.
While the opening half hour saw an even battle fought mostly in the middle third, the game exploded into life just before the hydration break.
Despite receiving the ball near the center circle, Nelson Deossa was suddenly possessed to shoot. Brushing past an Urawa midfielder, he fired a missile from 35 yards out that knuckled its way past Red Diamonds' goalkeeper Shusaka Nishikawa. The golazo of the tournament gave Monterrey the lead - their second would come only moments later.
A simple one-two would see Germán Berterame find the bottom corner only seconds after play resumed. Suddenly the game was looking like the generic day at the office many Monterrey fans (inexplicably) seemed to be treating it as. But perhaps they were right to.
By the end of the half, the game was all but over after another golazo - this one courtesy of Jesús Corona, from a mere 25 yards out - had Monterrey fans on their feet once more.
Across the stadium, however, the Urawa fans never stopped singing. Even when Monterrey added a fourth (and Berterame’s second) in the closing seconds of an otherwise uneventful second half, the small but vocal Red Diamond faithful never wavered. It’s a passion that FIFA will hope doesn’t leave the tournament with them.
For Monterrey, their Round of 16 matchup against cup-connoisseurs Borussia Dortmund, on July 1st, should galvanize their fan base. If it doesn’t, then they might not be long behind their Japanese counterparts in heading for the exit.