Emotional Lautaro Martinez: "I cried for two days"
Against Barcelona, Lautaro Martinez impressively demonstrated why Inter had been so worried about his inclusion. Afterwards, he reflected emotionally on a few days—and two years.
Big emotions after the semifinal against Barcelona: Lautaro Martinez. IMAGO/Gribaudi/ImagePhoto
As in the first leg, Mehdi Taremi certainly didn't disappoint on Tuesday evening against FC Barcelona. The attacker, who had been so unlucky in an Inter Milan shirt up to that point, provided a clear assist for Davide Frattesi's 4-3 winner in extra time. Nevertheless, coach Simone Inzaghi was delighted to once again start Lautaro Martinez instead of Taremi.
Since the 3-3 draw in Barcelona, Inzaghi and the entire Inter entourage had been worried about whether the 27-year-old Argentinian would be fit in time. Marcus Thuram's brilliant strike partner and Inter's top scorer in the Champions League had injured his thigh in the first leg and had to be substituted at halftime. But on Tuesday, he played – and how.
Lautaro Martinez held out for 71 minutes, scoring the opener, was instrumental in the penalty that made it 2-0, and was otherwise almost unstoppable for Barca (kicker rating 1.5). He watched the drama end on the sidelines, thrilling with the game; afterward, he became emotional.
"I promised my family that I would be on the pitch today""For the first two days, I just sat at home and cried," Lautaro Martinez reflected on Sky Sport Italia , seemingly holding back tears. But the medical staff did a great job, "even though I wasn't 100 percent fit." A full recovery was apparently not an option: "I promised my family I would be on the pitch today."
Now Lautaro Martinez will be playing in a Champions League final with Inter for the second time after 2023. "We've been thinking about that since we lost the last one," emphasized the world champion, who had a tough time in the narrow 1-0 defeat to Manchester City (kicker rating 4.5). A lot has changed since then, however: "Inter has been raising their level every single year for four or five years. This team never gives up."
