During Tuesday night’s thrilling 7-6 aggregate victory for Simone Inzaghi’s team in the Champions League semi-final, new video has surfaced that reveals the true reason why Inter Milan players threw their anger at Inigo Martinez just before halftime. After an exhausting road first leg that left the tie tied at 3-3 heading into the last match versus Barcelona, the hosts made their way back to the San Siro.
Similar to the previous leg, Inter quickly established their superiority, with Hakan Calhanoglu scoring a penalty just before halftime to give them a two-goal advantage and Lautaro Martinez scoring early. As live action began, chaos broke out on the pitch as fans at home saw replays of the penalty and Calhanoglu’s calm finish past Wojciech Szczesny.
Referee Szymon Marciniak was besieged by players from both teams, and TNT Sports’ commentary conjectured about a possible VAR intervention and a probable red card. Although there was no explanation at the time, recent video clearly reveals that Martinez seemed to spit at Francesco Acerbi as he went into the box to join his colleagues in celebrating.
New Footage Shows Inigo Martinez Might Have Spat at Francesco Acerbi
The damning footage was ignored by VAR
Acerbi had to be separated from his teammates in the last moments before halftime because he kept pointing his figure at Martinez. Now that shocking video of what triggered his emotional response has surfaced, you can view the purported spitting event below from two different perspectives:
In the second half, Barcelona came out of the starting blocks looking like a totally different team than the one that had let Inter control the first half. Los Culers tied the score in the 64th minute thanks to quick goals from Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo, and it appeared that the comeback was complete when Raphinha scored in the 87th.
However, Martinez got the last laugh from Acerbi and his companions. Inzaghi’s team advanced to their second Champions League final in three years as Davide Frattesi scored the game-winning goal in extra time after his spectacular equaliser in the 93rd minute.
Martinez Responds to Accusations of Spitting
The tragedy has been minimised by the Spanish
Videos that are going the rounds on social media look very conclusive. However, Martinez himself has replied to the claims, claiming that, while he did spit, it never landed on his opponent. He said (see the interview below):
“[Acerbi] celebrated in my face. It was a needless response on my part. I didn’t spit at him, though. It landed next to him. I would have been sent off otherwise. Without a question.
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According to UEFA and FIFA rules, spitting usually results in a minimum three-match suspension, and more if it is thought to be intentional or offensive.
With Francesco Totti, Aleksander Mitrovic, and El Hadji Diouf among those who have already been fined for comparable instances, the latter portion of the statute implies that Martinez may find himself in hot water with football’s regulators in the upcoming weeks.
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