Football | Inter Milan 1 - 1 Monterrey

Inter Milan start the club's new era with a draw

A familiar face to European football fans helped Monterrey earn a point 

Author | Jack L

Sergio Ramos rolled back the years with a trademark header as Monterrey earned a 1-1 draw against Inter Milan in their Club World Cup opener in California.

The 39-year-old defender, who lifted a previous iteration of the Club World Cup four times with Real Madrid, rose highest at a corner to nod the Mexican side in front after 25 minutes.

Inter, still reeling from their 5-0 defeat by Paris St-Germain in last month’s Champions League final, found a response just before the interval when Lautaro Martínez turned in from close range.

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Monterrey almost snatched victory in stoppage time, but Nelson Deossa could only find the side netting with his effort.

The match marked a new era for Inter, with Cristian Chivu taking charge for the first time following the departure of Simone Inzaghi, who left the club three days after the final.

Inter Milan haven't won the Champions League since 2010. How did they qualify for the Club World Cup?

Inter Milan are one of a dozen UEFA teams competing in the competition and they qualify as the fourth-best ranked eligible team in the four-year ranking. This has been helped by reaching the final of the Champions League twice in the last three years. 

Where does this leave the two sides?

In its early stages, Monterrey and Inter feature in group led by River Plate, who beat Urawa Red Diamonds 3-1 in the earlier game in Seattle.

Footage from elsewhere in the group 

River Plate are probably one of the few European sides that will be confident of reaching the later stages of the competition.