Lautaro Martinez Sets Record, Inter Milan One Step Again To The Last 16

JAKARTA - Striker Lautaro Martinez brought Inter Milan to beat Sparta Prague 1-0 in the Champions League match at the epet ARENA Stadium, Prague, Thursday, January 23, 2025 in the morning WIB. Martinez not only set a goal record but also made Inter one step further to the last 16 without a playoffs.

Martinez overcomes Inter's stalemate during a tight match at home to opponents. Prague's strong defense made it difficult for Inter to score goals.

Inter finally managed to take the lead when Martinez beat goalkeeper Peter Vulul in the 12th minute. Martinez also set a record as Inter's top scorer in European competition and equaled the legendary striker Adriano's record. Martinez and the Brazilian forward both collected 14 goals.

Martinez also has the opportunity to add to Inter's collection of goals. This opens up opportunities for the captain to be the top scorer throughout the club's history in European competitions.

Although Inter started the match with Martinez's goal in the early minutes of the match, the top Italian Serie A team struggled to increase their lead. Defender Denzel Dumfries actually broke into the hosts' goal in the 60th minute. However, his goal was disallowed due to offside in the process of creating a goal.

Martinez then got a chance to score a brace. But he failed to complete the opportunity. Likewise, Marcus Thuram still couldn't take advantage of the chance to convert into a goal. Inter finally maintained a 1-0 lead until the game was over.

The victory made Inter move up to fourth with 16 points. This makes the Nerazzurri have a great chance of qualifying automatically for the last 16. The final match against his guest Monaco will be a determination for Inter who only need a draw to ensure a direct ticket without the need for a playoffs to the knockout round.

Meanwhile, Prague has been eliminated in the race for tickets to the last 16. The reason is, Prague only ranks 29th with four points.

Inter also confirmed it as the team with the best defense. Simone Inzaghi's team was recorded at least conceding during the preliminary. Yann Sommer's goal conceded only one goal. But Inter also included goal poor. They were only able to score eight goals.

"We played well in this match. We also only need one more point [to qualify for the last 16]. Our fate is in our own hands," Inzaghi was quoted as saying by Football Italia.

"However, this does not mean that we will definitely qualify. What is clear is that I am satisfied with the team's performance. They are able to concentrate when we have to have a game with a busy schedule. I give appreciation to the players. I also thank the fans who traveled to support us," he said.

Meanwhile, Martinez said he was happy to match Inter's legend record. He also made sure he would not stop scoring goals for Inter.

"I am proud to be able to match the big players in Inter history. It is important for me to achieve this achievement. I will continue to work hard and score more goals," Martinez said.

Responding to the difficulty of scoring goals in Prague, Martinez admitted that opponents were not easy to beat. Moreover, Prague played without a burden so they made it difficult for Inter.

"It's a game against a team that plays without a burden. In the first half, we played well and created a number of chances. But we then had trouble controlling them," he said.