There was no drama in Lautaro Martinez’s substitution against Parma despite the Inter Milan captain’s angry reaction.
This according to today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews. They report that the substitution was entirely pre-planned.
Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez came off the pitch in the second half of yesterday’s Serie A clash with Parma.
The timing of the substitution was notable.
Parma midfielder Adrian Bernabe had scored to make it 2-1 just a few minutes earlier.
And that had greatly changed the dynamic of the match.
No Drama Despite Lautaro Reaction In Parma 2-2 Inter Milan Serie A Draw
As Lautaro Martinez saw his number come up on the substitution board, it was visible that the Argentine was not happy to come off.
The 27-year-old scowled as he realized that his time was up. He seemed to mouth “no, no” as he clearly wanted to stay on the pitch.
And then the fact that Parma equalized just four minutes after Martinez exited the pitch seemed to confirm that feeling.
However, the Gazzetta confirm, there was no real drama.
It had always been inevitable that Martinez would come off right around the hour mark.
The Argentine was just coming back from injury. And preserving his fitness was key in view of Inter’s Champions League clash with Bayern Munich this week.
Therefore, the timing of the substitution changed little. And Martinez was willing to accept the change due to fitness reasons.