Lautaro Martínez and his 19th goal for Inter, who cut malaria in Serie A and fights for the next Champions League

It was a good week of the Champions League for Inter and the Argentine Lautaro Martínez. A few days ago he sealed his qualification to the semifinals of the main European club tournament where he will face his classic Milan and this Sunday he thrashed Empoli 3 to 0 (with a goal from the ‘Toro’ world champion) to end a losing streak of five winless games in Serie A and cut ground in the fight for a ticket to the next edition of ‘Orejona’.

Beyond the goal from Bahia, at minute 88, and the ownership of Joaquín Correa, the great protagonist of the match was the Belgian Romelu Lukakuwith a brace in the second half that put the Nerazzurri on track to win, who hadn’t won since March 5 in Serie A.

The euphoria that meant qualifying for the ‘Champions’ semifinals ended a few days ago. And it is that Inter, who came sixth in the clash against Empoli, outside the top-4, had no margin for error on this day if they did not want to be left out even of the European positions.

But Lukaku was in charge of scaring away any ghost in a second half that was radically different from the first, in a game in which Inzaghi, despite the complicated situation, opted for a team full of substitutes. Onana, Bastoni, Dimarco, Darmian, Dumfries, Barella and Lautaro were substitutes.

It was the perfect moment to vindicate himself and demand more minutes in this final stretch of the season for a Lukaku who accepted the proposal and emerged victorious.

He could not impose his physique or his eye for goals in a first half without rhythm, comfortable for Empoli in defense, in which Inter barely managed to generate danger beyond the individual actions of Correa or Lukaku himself.

At the beginning of the complement, the Belgian received the goal in front of him and, without thinking, without even raising his head, he shot with his right leg and adjusted the ball against the post to open the scoring.

Shortly after, Lukaku exhibited another of his virtues: physical power. He received the left-footed profile of the area, threw a bicycle at his marker and made a hole for himself, leaving the defender behind to shoot, this time with his good leg.

Lautaro Martínez joined the party in the 88th minute, twenty after having replaced Correa. El Toro rounded off the victory after capitalizing on a good assist from Lukaku himself and defining with a left-footed shot that goalkeeper Perisan could not contain.

Inter took a breath in Serie A and aims for another defining match: on Wednesday they will host Juventus in the rematch of the Coppa Italia semifinals (the first leg was 1-1). Lautaro and Lukaku took the first step to close a season with irregularities in the best way.