Defence the key to Monterrey's bid for history

Monterrey coach Domenec Torrent warned his team that every player must defend diligently if the Mexican club are to stand any chance of beating Borussia Dortmund in the Club World Cup last 16 on July 1 (July 2, Singapore time).

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ATLANTA - Monterrey coach Domenec Torrent warned his team that every player must defend diligently if the Mexican club are to stand any chance of beating Borussia Dortmund in the Club World Cup last 16 on July 1 (July 2, Singapore time).

He said that former Barcelona great Lionel Messi, whose Inter Miami side were knocked out by Paris Saint-Germain, is the only player in the world who can get away with not tracking back.

Monterrey secured an impressive 1-1 draw against Inter Milan in the group phase, but, to reach the quarter-finals, they must secure a first Club World Cup win for a Mexican side against European opposition.

"We need to compete as a team, and what I mean is, it's about defending — we must all defend," Torrent said.

"If you do not defend, you're getting benched, if you don't abide by the rules, you're harming the team. We played very well against Inter Milan, we went in for every ball, we suffered and we endured, even our most talented players that tend to defend less, they defended very well.