Blushes spared! Inter Milan ride Lautaro Martinez brilliance to comeback victory over Urawa Reds

Inter Milan were roughly 15 minutes from disaster on Saturday at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, but their captain came through in their moment of need and spurred the Itallian side to a 2-1 victory over Urawa Red Diamonds.

The Red Diamonds were steadfast in their defending and emboldened by an early goal that came completely against the run of play, and it appeared as though Inter's 1-1 draw against CF Monterrey to open their tournament would become their second-worst result of the week.

Inter showed little in the way of creativity as they were entirely predictable through the opening 75 minutes of play, holding onto the ball for long stretches but rarely threatening Urawa goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa. It was the same thing over and over: short, probing passes from one side of the pitch to the other, until a Urawa player inevitably blocked a shot or closed down in time to force the effort wayward.

That all changed in an instant though, as the tiring Urawa defence gave up a set-piece deep in their own territory, setting up one of the best goals of the tournament so far as Lautaro Martinez scored a scissor-esque volley while leaning backwards as he faced away from the net. It was a heck of a way for the Nerazzurri to register their first shot on target, and it instantly buoyed the entire Inter squad as they came to the realisation that yes, they could actually put a shot between Nishikawa's posts.

Still, the rejuvenated Inter attack couldn't find another breakthrough until moments from the final whistle as another Argentine, Valentin Carboni, made the best of a chaotic bit of play in front of the Urawa goal, breaking the hearts of the Japanese side while simultaneously thrusting Inter back into contention for a berth in the knockout stages.

Here are the key talking points from Inter's comeback victory over Urawa Red Diamonds, as seen by DAZN News.

Inter Milan vs Urawa Red Diamonds match highlights

Champions League hangover

It's been less than a month since Inter were humbled in the Champions League final, and it appears as though they still haven't fully put that embarrassing performance behind them.

While Inter did control the bulk of the play against Urawa, they were rarely threatening until the final 15 minutes on Saturday.

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The losers of the UCL final usually have a full summer to shake off the bad memories, but Inter don't have that luxury. For their sake, they'd better hope the late comeback was a harbinger of things to come.

The trouble with possession

Saturday's match was the second in this Club World Cup in which Inter held the lion's share of possession.

Similar to their 1-1 draw with Monterrey, the Nerazzurri struggled to figure out how to turn all of that possession into real opportunities. Against Monterrey, Inter only managed two shots on target on 62 percent possession. On Saturday, they held 82 percent of the possession but only created four shots, all after the 77th minute.

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While it was enough to see off the Red Diamonds, it's not good enough from a club as talented as Inter. If they are to make a run in this tournament, chance creation will have to be better.

Take your chances

For most of the game, the shots on target were Urawa 1, Inter 0. The early goal by the Japanese side — on their first attempt — sat as the lone marker for over 75 minutes as Inter took far too long to solve the Red Diamonds' defence.

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But it was a stellar finish from Martinez — on Inter's first shot on target — that finally levelled the match, and Inter were visibly rejuvenated in the final moments. Then, a well-taken effort by Carboni sealed the result for Inter.

Two finishes saved Inter blushes on Saturday, and completely changed the narrative as the team can now go into their final group stage game with a good chance of advancing to the round of 16.

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