It wasn’t until full time of a back and forth 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich at San Siro that Inter Milan could be certain of their place in the Champions League semi-finals, but Lautaro Martínez’s goal in the first leg was the moment that announced the Nerazzurri as true European contenders.
From the start of the move to Martínez firing high into the Bayern net, it took Inter a matter of seconds to showcase just how dangerous they can be. It was an attacking sequence which saw the Serie A outfit surge down the left side before Marcus Thuram set up Martínez inside the box with a deft backheel flick.
This was Martinez’s seventh goal in this season’s Champions League, and the Argentine followed it up by scoring his eighth of the season in the second leg against Bayern Munich. Previously maligned for his lack of conviction in front of goal when it mattered most, Martínez is proving his worth as one of the best strikers in the game.
Of course, many in Italy would argue Martínez has been operating at this level for years. The Inter forward has registered 20 goals or more in each of the last three Serie A campaigns. This season, he has found the back of the net 12 times in the league, but 21 goals to his name in all competitions, including the aforementioned eight in the Champions League.
It’s in Europe where Martínez has made himself the symbol of Inzaghi’s double-chasing outfit. After scoring against Bayern Munich, the 27-year-old stood atop the advertising hoardings at San Siro, arms outstretched with a jubilant Curva Nord as his backdrop. This was the image of a player at the peak of his powers.
Martínez’s best season to date came in 2022/23 when he forged a partnership with Romelu Lukaku. However, Lukaku doesn’t have the technical subtlety of Thuram while Martínez has added different dimensions to his own game over the last few seasons. His all-round contribution is now better than ever.
Not only is Martínez producing game-winning goals, he is averaging 1.1 key passes per 90 minutes. Only Nicolo Barella is averaging more through balls per match than the Argentine forward. Martínez is also up there when it comes to his dribbling numbers – once again, only Barella is ahead of him for this metric.
When Inter get moving in quick transition, they are a force of nature. Everyone in Inzaghi’s team knows their role. There’s a familiarity between the players on the pitch because they have been moulded over several seasons. Martínez and Thuram are the most formidable front two in European football because they know each other’s every movement.
While this might come together as the most special season in Inter’s history since the days of José Mourinho, it could also fall apart for Inzaghi’s team. Sunday’s defeat to Bologna handed the advantage in the Scudetto race to Antonio Conte’s Napoli who now have a more favourable run-in.
Tactically, Barcelona could be a good match-up for Inter who will look to exploit the space in behind the Catalans’ high defensive line. Bayern Munich gave the Nerazzurri a similar weakness to target and were made to pay for it as Inter scored four goals over two legs. Barca might suffer in the same way.
On the flip side, Barca have the attacking firepower to blow away any opponent. Lamine Yamal is the best young attacker in the world while Robert Lewandowski is enjoying one of the best goalscoring campaigns of his entire career. Inter won’t be able to relax at any moment of their semi-final tie.
For Martínez, though, this could be the defining stretch of his career to date. Despite putting up consistent numbers for much of the last decade, the Argentine has been overlooked as an elite level forward. Martinez deserves to be mentioned alongside the likes of Lewandowski, Harry Kane, Karim Benzema, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé.
Martínez has scored in five of Inter’s last six matches in the Champions League. Ever since narrowly losing to Manchester City in the competition’s final two seasons ago, the Nerazzurri have placed an emphasis on Europe in the belief that Inzaghi has set them up for another triumph on the continent.
Inter have trailed for just 11 minutes in this season’s Champions League. They have the lowest goals conceded per match ratio (0.4) of any team in the competition and are generally the strongest defensive unit in Europe. Martínez, however, is the player who has repeatedly delivered the decisive moments to get Inter over the line. European glory would be his individual triumph.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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