Al Ain send River Plate crashing out of Club World Cup on penalties
The teams drew 2-2 after extra-time before the shoot-out
River Plate were dumped out of the Club World Cup at the semi-final stage on penalties by hosts Al Ain on Tuesday.
The Argentine Copa Libertadores winners were expected to face Real Madrid in Saturday’s final but were beaten in a thrilling tie.
Marcus Berg sent the Abu Dhabi side ahead but Rafael Santos Borre turned the game on its head for River.
However Caio equalised and Pity Martinez missed a penalty in the second half.
Extra-time was goalless and Al Ain scored all five penalties before goalkeeper Khalid Essa saved Enzo Perez’s spot-kick in the shoot-out to win it for his team.
After beating arch-rivals Boca Juniors in Madrid to win the Copa Libertadores, this will come as a huge disappointment for River.
