Sergio Ramos, Monterrey secure draw with Inter

Inter Milan was held to a 1-1 gully by Monterrey successful the Club World Cup opener Tuesday nighttime successful the Italian power's archetypal lucifer since losing the Champions League final.

Veteran Spanish prima Sergio Ramos scored connected a stunning first-half header for Monterrey, delighting the decidedly pro-Mexico assemblage successful Southern California for Monterrey manager Domènec Torrent's ain debut.

Lautaro Martínez evened it precocious successful the archetypal fractional for Inter, but the Champions League finalists couldn't make a 2nd extremity contempt having astir 62% possession portion Monterrey got lone 1 changeable connected target.

Inter manager Cristian Chivu made his debut arsenic the Nerazzurri returned to contention astatine the Rose Bowl conscionable 17 days aft taking that 5-0 thrashing from Paris Saint-Germain successful Munich.

After the 39-year-old Ramos enactment Los Rayados ahead, Martínez answered successful the 42nd infinitesimal with a tap-in of Carlos Augusto's walk aft a world-class series of shot question from a setpiece.

"It was a precise hard lucifer against a large rival, a Champions League finalist. We knew the carnal demands it would take," Ramos said aft the game.

Martínez thought helium scored again successful the 68th minute, but was offside. Both teams narrowly missed goals successful the last minutes, and Martínez picked up a yellowish paper successful second-half wounded time.

Chivu started lone 7 of Simone Inzaghi's choices for the Champions League final. Ailing striker Marcus Thuram came connected aboriginal successful the 2nd fractional to regenerate 22-year-old Sebastiano Esposito, who started his archetypal crippled backmost from 7 indebtedness stints since his erstwhile quality for Inter successful 2020.