River Plate opened their FIFA Club World Cup 2025 campaign with a confident 3-1 win over Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds. The Argentine giants took early control of Group E, at least for now, before Inter Milan and Monterrey play their opening match.

A flying start in more ways than one

From the very first whistle, Marcelo Gallardo’s men looked determined to make a statement. And they did — in style. Just 12 minutes in, Facundo Colidio charged into the box and connected perfectly with a curling cross from the left, heading the ball home with authority. An early lead, but more importantly, a confident message.

The Argentine side kept pushing, maintaining control and rhythm, though a second goal only came after the break. Sebastián Driussi took advantage of a dreadful miscommunication in Urawa’s defense. A misguided header back to the keeper turned into a golden chance — one he converted bravely, even picking up a knock in the process.

Urawa fight back with pride

Full credit to Urawa, whose fans never stopped singing — a wall of sound and synchronicity from the stands. And on the pitch, the Japanese club found their moment. On 58 minutes, Yusuke Matsuo slotted home from the penalty spot, injecting life and hope back into the game.

But River weren’t rattled. Instead, they tightened the screws and sealed the deal in the 73rd minute. Another set-piece, another header — this time from Lucas Messa — made it 3:1 and crushed any hopes of a comeback.

What's next in Group E

The win gives River an early edge in what promises to be a highly competitive group. With Inter Milan and Monterrey yet to play, this opening victory could prove crucial for Gallardo’s side in their hunt for the knockout rounds.

Whether River can go deep in the tournament remains to be seen — they may not be considered favorites, but with this kind of passion and execution, they’re already adding flavor to CWC 2025.

2025 FIFA Club World Cup

River Plate - Urawa Red Diamonds 3:1 (1:0)
Goals: Colidio, 12 (1:0); Driussi, 48 (2:0); Matsuo, 58 (penalty) (2:1); Meza, 73 (3:1)

River Plate: Armani; Montiel; Pezzella G.; Castaño; Acuña (Casco, 89); Pérez En. (Meza, 46); Fernández I. (Galoppo, 46); Martinez Quarta; Mastantuono; Colidio (Martínez G., 75); Driussi (Borja M., 51)
Bench: Ledesma J.; Gattoni; González Pírez; Bustos; Díaz P.; Kranevitter; Rojas Ma.; Lanzini; Aliendro; Subiabre
Yellow Cards: Pérez En. 24; Acuña 58; Pezzella G. 60; Galoppo 92

Urawa Red Diamonds: Nishikawa; Danilo Boza; Ishihara; Höibraten; Yasui (Matsumoto, 81); Watanabe; Kaneko (Sekine, 71); Naganuma (Ogiwara, 81); Gustafson (Haraguchi, 88); Matheus Savio (Thiago S., 71); Matsuo
Bench: Niekawa; Yoshida; Nemoto; Inoue; Okubo; Hayakawa; Nakajima; Komori; Takahashi; Nitta
Yellow Cards: Gustafson 34; Watanabe 87