Inter Milan coach Cristian Chivu has praised the adaptability and commitment of his team after they beat River Plate 2-0 in an intense group match to reach the last 16 of the Club World Cup.
Francesco Esposito and Alessandro Bastoni scored the goals in the last quarter of the game to book the 20-times Italian champions a date with Brazilian club Fluminense in Charlotte on Monday.
Chivu took charge of the squad for the first time at the Club World Cup, having replaced Simone Inzaghi on a two-year contract in early June.
"The match was played with lots of character and willingness to win, to reach our goal, even though during the first half we were a bit surprised by their intensity, aggression and pressure.
"Maybe the players were not so prepared at first, but then in the second half, we raised the level of intensity ... because we are strong, we're competent, we have players that can play such a game," said Chivu.
Elsewhere, Monterrey advanced to the knockout rounds after their 4-0 thrashing of Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds, with the win securing second place in Group E behind Inter Milan.
The Mexican side's coach Domenec Torrent has warned his players that they face another huge challenge when they take on Borussia Dortmund in the last 16 in Atlanta on Monday.
"Each game, for me, is like a game of chess, just to see how the opponent is moving the players and how we can do it. Basically, step by step," said Torrent.
"We are going to have three or four days to prepare for this new game, which is excellent for us to showcase our football to the world, Mexican football and Monterrey football, he added."
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