The Cult of Calcio
·31 October 2024
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Yahoo sportsThe Cult of Calcio
·31 October 2024
Inter superstar Lautaro Martinez returned to the scoresheet last night as Simone Inzaghi’s side thumped 10-man Empoli 3-0 in Tuscany. In doing so, the 27-year-old reached a historic feat in the Nerazzurri shirt.
Last season, Martinez won his first Capocannoniere award. With 24 Serie A goals, he inspired Inter to a landmark 20th Scudetto. He also wore the captain’s armband, cementing his status as a club legend. However, he has been atypically slow out of the blocks this season.
Before last night, Martinez had only scored three times in eight league appearances. But it’s worth noting that his previous strikes directly contributed to six points. Indeed, after a game-winning brace in a 3-2 triumph at Udinese, he bagged a second-half winner against Roma.
Interestingly, all of his four top-flight goals have come outside Meazza. Martinez’s only home goal came in the UEFA Champions League when Inter trounced Serbian champions Red Star Belgrade 4-0 in early October.
With Inter facing a season-long fight against Napoli for the Serie A title, Inzaghi desperately needs his talismanic center-forward to regain his home form. He’ll have a presentable opportunity at the weekend as newly promoted Venezia roll into town Sunday.
Inter will be odds-on to take three points and at least maintain a four-point deficit on table-topping Napoli.