Are Inter and River Plate cooking up a "biscotto" for the Mexicans?
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Reading Time: 2min | Wed. 25.06.25. | 22:15
Will the Italian and Argentine giants play out a 2-2 draw tonight and spoil the stew for the Mexican club in the battle for a spot in the Club World Cup round of 16?
In Buenos Aires, they are hoping for a “biscotto” – the Italian term for a silent agreement between two teams to eliminate a third one during the group stage – in this case, a 2-2 result that would automatically send both teams into the round of 16 regardless of Monterrey’s performance against Urawa.
Whenever the word “biscotto” comes up, Italians are reminded of the infamous Euro 2004 match between Sweden and Denmark, when the two Nordic teams “cooked up” a 2-2 draw that sent both of them through and eliminated Italy from the tournament.
Clash of giants. ⚔️💪
— River Plate Global (@GlobalCARP) June 25, 2025
Two historic clubs meet tonight at Lumen Field, for Matchday 3 of the @FIFACWC. 🏆
Plenty of stars have worn both River Plate’s iconic red stripe and Inter’s legendary nerazzurra shirt. ⚪🔴⚫🔵 pic.twitter.com/CIv05ARKXZ
Cristian Chivu’s debut as Inter Milan boss didn’t go exactly as planned, as his side stumbled to a draw against Mexico’s CF Monterrey. Inter looked out of sorts for much of the match, falling behind early to a determined Japanese side.
It wasn’t until the 78th minute that Lautaro Martinez brought them level, before a dramatic stoppage-time winner from Valentin Carboni salvaged all three points. The late rally pushed Inter into second place in Group E, but with River Plate up next, their path to the knockout stage remains anything but secure. A win puts them through—but if they slip and Monterrey beats Urawa Reds, Inter could be in serious trouble.
River Plate, meanwhile, kicked off their tournament with an impressive 3-1 win over Urawa, a better showing than Inter’s narrow escape. That goal difference currently has them sitting atop the group. However, despite dominating their second game against Monterrey, the Argentine giants couldn’t find a breakthrough and had to settle for a draw.
🚨 By changing the tie-breaking rules, and switching from goal difference to H2H, FIFA have opened themselves up to scenarios similar to those we had at EURO 2004 (🇩🇰 v 🇸🇪 2-2).
— Football Meets Data (@fmeetsdata) June 22, 2025
If River Plate 🇦🇷 - Inter 🇮🇹 play out a 2-2 draw, Monterrey 🇲🇽 will be eliminated regardless of what… pic.twitter.com/8FKSD2LwNP
That result now sets up a high-stakes final group match. A point would be enough for River to advance, but a loss to Inter, combined with a Monterrey victory, would send the South Americans crashing out.
In a group where margins are razor-thin, everything is still to play for—and no one is safe just yet.
FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP 2025
Matchday 3
Thursday
04:00: (1.90) Inter Milan (3.45) River Plate (3.80)
04:00: (5.30) Urawa RD (3.60) Monterrey (1.70)
22:00: (4.40) Juventus (3.50) Man.City (1.85)
22:00: (2.55) Wydad Casablanca (3.35) Al Ain (2.75)
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