New footage has emerged showing the real reason why Inter Milan players directed fury at Inigo Martinez on the cusp of half-time during Simone Inzaghi's side's dramatic 7-6 Champions League semi-final aggregate victory on Tuesday night. The hosts returned to the San Siro after a breathless first-leg on the road left the tie level at 3-3 going into the decider against Barcelona.
Much like in the first leg, Inter wasted no time asserting their dominance, with Lautaro Martinez scoring early and Hakan Calhanoglu converting a penalty just before half-time to give them a two-goal lead. As viewers at home watched replays of the penalty and Calhanoglu's composed finish past Wojciech Szczesny, chaos erupted on the pitch as live action resumed.
Players from both teams surrounded referee Szymon Marciniak, while TNT Sports’ commentary speculated about a potential VAR intervention and possible red card. At the time, no explanation was givenas to why, but new footage now shows that Martinez appeared to spit at Francesco Acerbi as he entered the box to celebrate with his teammates.
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In the moments before half-time, Acerbi needed to be restrained from his teammates as he pointed his figure repeatedly at Martinez. Damning footage of what caused his emotional reaction has now come to light, and you can watch the alleged spitting incident from two different angles below:
Barcelona burst out of the blocks in the second half, looking like a completely transformed side from the one that had allowed Inter to dominate the opening stages. Rapid goals from Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo brought Los Culers level by the 64th minute, and when Raphinha struck in the 87th, it looked like the comeback was complete.
But Acerbi and his teammates had the final laugh at Martinez. His dramatic equaliser in the 93rd minute forced extra time, where Davide Frattesi netted the decisive goal to send Inzaghi’s side to their second Champions League final in three years.
Martinez Reacts To Spitting Accusations
The Spaniard has downplayed the incident
Inigo Martinez
Videos that are doing the rounds on social media look fairly conclusive. However, Martinez himself has responded to the accusations, claiming that, while he did spit, it never landed on his opponent. He said (watch the interview below):
"[Acerbi] celebrated in my face. It was an unnecessary reaction from me. But I didn't spit at him. It landed beside him. Otherwise, I would've been sent off. Without a doubt."
Spitting is typically punished with a minimum three-match ban under UEFA and FIFA guidelines, and more if deemed deliberate or provocative.
The latter part of the law suggests Martinez could land himself in hot water with football's rulemakers in the coming weeks, with Francesco Totti, Aleksander Mitrovic, and El Hadji Diouf among those to have been punished for similar incidents in the past.