Martinez proud to equal Inter´s Champions League goalscoring record

Lautaro Martinez scored a goal of the highest quality to see off Sparta Prague, becoming Inter’s joint-highest Champions League scorer in the process.

Inter won 1-0 on Wednesday to put themselves on the brink of automatically qualifying for the round of 16.

Martinez’s volley at the back post from Alessandro Baston’s cross was an illustration of his flawless technique, and recent good form, as he netted for a fifth time in seven games.

It took him level with Adriano as Inter’s all-time leading scorer in the competition with 14 goals, a tally he will hope to add to next Wednesday when the Italian club host Monaco needing a point to book their place in the next round.

“I am full of pride, great players in Inter’s history have passed through this competition, so having reached this milestone is important,” Martinez told Inter TV.

“I have to continue to work and score goals. Football is like this, we have to continue to take everything we can.”

This was Inter’s fourth 1-0 win in this season’s Champions League, the most by a team in a season in the competition since Atletico Madrid in 2016-17 (also four).

The Nerazzurri recorded 69.5% possession against Sparta, their second-highest on record (from 2003-04) in a Champions League away game, after their 71.8% against Viktoria Plzen in September 2022.

Inter were never unduly troubled in Prague and had several chances to win by a greater margin, while Denzel Dumfries also saw a goal disallowed for offside.

“It was a game in which, having few points, they [Sparta Prague] had nothing to lose,” Martinez said. “In the first half, we were good, we found spaces and created chances, then we conceded a little [possession] to them.

“On the goal, I first slipped out to the edge of the penalty area to make the play, then Bastoni put the cross and I arrived.”

Martinez had not scored for six games prior to his recent purple patch but says he never lost faith.

“I worked harder, that’s the secret: when things don’t go well, you have to put your head down. I learned it as a child from my father, who loved this sport. I work twice as hard and it pays off on the pitch.”