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WHAT HAPPENED?
Inter’s promising season ended in disaster as they were annihilated 5-0 by the French champions in Munich. The Italian giants had been in contention to win a treble of trophies, but ended the campaign empty handed as they crashed out of the Coppa Italia and lost out on the Serie A title in the last game of the season.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
The European final set a record for the highest margin of defeat in a Champions League final. Since then, they have seen coach Simone Inzaghi leave for Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal and Christian Chivu, who won the treble with the club in 2010, was appointed new coach before the Club World Cup. Argentine striker Martinez is still reeling from the horrific evening in Munich as he revealed the emotional toll of the upset, but he urged his team-mates to move on under their new coach.
WHAT LAUTARO SAID
Martinez told reporters: “I can’t understand how it was possible to lose such a great opportunity in that way. I was sad, it was difficult to get to the bottom of the reasons, it took me five or six days to talk, I wanted to explain to my people. That night nothing was possible and everything was possible for them: it wasn’t us, we weren’t a team. It’s football. And now however we have to move on, there is no other possibility, even if everything remains in the head.”
But then he rallied his troops and urged his team-mates to move on, saying: “We have to turn the page and not think about what happened. I asked my team-mates to be strong in the head, I explained that in the USA we need one last effort before the holidays.”
WHAT NEXT FOR LAUTARO AND INTER?
Inter are set to take on Monterrey today at the Club World Cup as they look to erase the memories of the Champions League final and add silverware to an underwhelming 2024-25 season.