Fresh footage which could explain the clash between Francesco Acerbi and Inigo Martinez has emerged in the aftermath of Inter's win over Barcelona.
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Inter beat Barca to progress to UCL finalAcerbi scored late equaliser before Inter winnerVeteran was involved in clash with Barca starsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
In the clip, Martinez appears to spit in Acerbi's direction just moments after Hakan Calhanoglu gave Inter a 2-0 lead from the spot in their Champions League semi-final second leg with Barca. The act appears to have sparked Acerbi’s furious reaction, with the Inter veteran completely losing his cool and chasing after opposition players.
AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPWHAT WAS SAID?
Speaking on Amazon Prime Video (h/t Daily Mail), former Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney asserted that Martinez should be reprimanded if he's found guilty of spitting at Acerbi. "You certainly don't want to see that in a football game or anywhere," said Rooney. "If he has spat, then he'll get a punishment that he'll deserve."
Co-pundit Daniel Sturridge added: "Absolutely right. If he's done that, then it's not good – it's not necessary, it's not needed. We'll let the people do their job and see if he's actually done it."
AFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE
As viewers watched replays of the penalty and Calhanoglu’s composed finish past Wojciech Szczesny, live coverage returned to the on-pitch chaos. Players surrounded referee Szymon Marciniak, amid speculation of a potential VAR review. Post-match footage then appeared to show Martinez spitting toward Acerbi, prompting the Inter defender’s heated appeals and a brief melee involving both sides.
The 37-year-old Italian centre-back would go on to have the last laugh, though, as he scored a crucial equaliser in the third minute of stoppage time in normal time. The first leg at the Montjuic last week ended in a 3-3 draw, but Inter, with vociferous home support at San Siro, took a vital two-goal lead before half-time, thanks to goals from Lautaro Martinez and Calhanoglu.
Barca took control of proceedings in the second half, as Eric Garcia, who started in place of the injured Jules Kounde at right-back, pulled one back for the visitors. Hansi Flick's men rode the wave of momentum and clinched another goal, this time through Dani Olmo.
Raphinha seemed to have won the tie and put Barca through to the final when he scored the night's third goal in the 87th minute. But Acerbi produced perhaps the most important moment of his career, crashing into the box and finding Denzel Dumfries' low cross to bury it past Szczesny in stoppage time.
Davide Frattesi would then score what turned out to be the winning goal in the 99th minute, as the Nerazzurri reached their second Champions League final in three seasons after winning 4-3 on the night and 7-6 on aggregate.