River Plate cruises, Dortmund and Inter draw at Club World Cup

NEW YORK, June 17 (Xinhua) -- European sides were left frustrated at the FIFA Club World Cup on Tuesday as Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan shared the points with Fluminense and Monterrey, respectively.

South America's River Plate claimed the day's most emphatic victory with a 3-1 defeat of Urawa Red Diamonds while Mamelodi Sundowns edged Ulsan 1-0.

In New Jersey, Brazil's Fluminense was left to rue its profligacy in a goalless draw with Germany's Borussia Dortmund.

The Rio de Janeiro outfit looked more likely to score at MetLife Stadium but could not find a way past Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, who made a series of fine saves.

"We showed that we are a great club and that we are going to be difficult opponents for anyone," Fluminense's Colombian midfielder Jhon Arias told reporters.

"We were aware of Borussia's quality and the level of European football, but we were superior for most of the match. That gives us peace of mind and confidence to continue playing like we did today."

Argentina's River Plate began its Group E campaign with a 3-1 victory over Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds in Seattle.

The Buenos Aires club opened the scoring when Facundo Colidio timed his run to perfection to meet Marcos Acuna's cross with a thumping header from the edge of the six-yard box.

Sebastian Driussi doubled the advantage shortly after, nodding home following a defensive miscue.

Urawa pulled a goal back through Yusuke Matsuo, who converted from the penalty spot after Takuro Kaneko was brought down by Acuna.

Substitute Maximiliano Meza restored the two-goal cushion, rising to meet Acuna's corner with a bullet header that beat goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa at his near post.

"The most important thing was to win, but we know we have to improve," River Plate manager Marcelo Gallardo said.

"We suffered from nerves, which is understandable. But our upcoming matches are going to be more demanding and we have to be ready."

In Orlando, a first-half goal from Iqraam Rayners gave South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns a 1-0 win over South Korean side Ulsan.

Rayners ran onto Lucas Ribeiro's inch-perfect pass before calmly toe-poking a right-footed shot into the far corner.

"In this competition, it's not easy to achieve victories," Sundowns manager Miguel Cardoso said. "Today, I think we released a lot of energy in the right way."

In the day's late match at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Inter Milan was held to a 1-1 draw by Monterrey after Lautaro Martinez cancelled out an early Sergio Ramos goal.

The Mexican side struck first when former Real Madrid defender Ramos rose highest to send a header past Argentine goalkeeper Esteban Andrada after Oliver Torres' corner.

Martinez leveled just before halftime, combining with Carlos Augusto to slot home from point-blank range.

The Italian Serie A giants dominated possession after the break but were denied by Monterrey's disciplined defensive block. ■