Lautaro Martinez vowed Inter Milan will do all they can to atone for their defeat in the 2023 Champions League final after defeating Barcelona in an epic semi-final second leg on Tuesday.
Martinez was passed fit to play in the second leg despite an injury sustained in the 3-3 draw in the first leg in Barcelona, and he set in motion an all-time classic with his 21st-minute opener.
Hakan Calhanoglu’s penalty on the stroke of half-time seemingly put Inter in command, but an astonishing second half saw Barcelona mount a remarkable recovery mission.
Raphinha’s 87th-minute strike, his 13th Champions League goal of the season, appeared to have settled an incredible tie in the Blaugrana’s favour after Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo had redressed the balance, only for Francesco Acerbi to force extra time, in which Davide Frattesi bent home a decisive goal to send Inter through 7-6 on aggregate.
That goal meant the tie matched the record set by Liverpool and Roma in 2017-18 for the most goals scored in a two-legged semi-final. More importantly, it dashed Barca’s hopes of a treble and provided Inter with the chance to atone for their 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in Istanbul two years ago.
Speaking to Prime Video Sport after the game, Martinez said of his injury: “It was really bad. I wasn’t in a great place.
“I wasn’t 100 percent today and the medical staff worked so hard to get me match fit and luckily I was able to play.”
Martinez was part of the side that was frustrated by City, and he added: “We’ll do what we can, there’s just one more step to go, we will do all we can we get Inter Milan to the summit of European football.”
Speaking to reporters, Martinez articulated how the disappointment of the loss to City has fuelled him and Inter for the last two years.
“We’ve been thinking about this since the day after we lost the last final,” the Argentina forward said.
“Now we’ve got to recover our energy, finish the season well and know we have another opportunity to write history.”
Denzel Dumfries scored twice in the first leg, and the Dutchman was once again instrumental as he laid on the opener for Martinez and provided the assist for Acerbi’s equaliser.
“Crazy match again, seven goals today, was incredible,” he told Prime Video Sport.
“We fought until the end, very proud of the way we fought today. I’m very happy we are going to the final.”
Dumfries had only recently returned from a thigh injury that kept him out for over a month prior to the tie, making his influence on a remarkable spectacle all the more impressive.
“I come back from injury, it was not easy to play two matches,” he added. “We have to fight every match for the colours of the club. I’m very proud.
“It [reaching the final] is a compliment to everyone, we go there to win.”
