SEATTLE (AP) — Sebastian Driussi scored for River Plate but was injured in the process, Marcos Acuña recorded two assists and the Argentine club beat the Urawa Red Diamonds 3-1 in the Club World Cup at Lumen Field on Tuesday.
Driussi's goal three minutes into the second half made it 2-0, but he collided with goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa and fell to the ground in pain, grabbing his ankle. He limped off the field with assistance and was replaced by Miguel Borja. Coach Marcelo Gallardo said after the game that Driussi will undergo testing on the ankle.
Facundo Colidio and Maximiliano Meza also scored for River Plate.
Yusuke Matsuo converted a penalty for the Japanese club in the 58th minute. Takuro Kaneko drew the foul and yellow card on Acuña. The kick was delayed by pushing and shoving at the penalty box’s edge, resulting in a yellow for German Pezzella.
Colidio scored in the 12th minute on a header off a cross from Acuña, and Meza restored River Plate’s two-goal advantage in the 73rd minute off Acuña’s corner kick service.
Key moment
Franco Armani saved a strong shot from the center of the box by Thiago Santana in the 90th minute to preserve River Plate's two-goal advantage.
Takeaways
Attendance for the noon kickoff was announced at 11,974. Lumen Field has a capacity of 68,740. But both teams had a significant fan presence for their Club World Cup opener.
What they said
“Urawa fans are fantastic. And even though we are so far away from Japan, they supported us in a fantastic way, and we very much regret that we were not able to satisfy them today and to bring them the joy that they expected. ... However, the tournament goes on. We still have two games to play, and we want to show ourselves from a much better side than what you were able to see today.” — Urawa Red Diamonds coach Maciej Skorza.
“I am extremely happy. Very happy with the win, with the way we handled the match. We had to start out in this way, and now we keep our eyes on the next match.” — Colidio.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Bella Munson, The Associated Press