After being sidelined since February 18 with a strained left calf muscle, Lautaro Martínez returned to action and scored twice in Inter’s 5-2 victory over Roma in their Serie A Matchday 31 clash.
In doing so, “El Toro” not only led the Nerazzurri to a resounding victory, ending a four-game winless streak, but also broke a record.
Martínez makes history with Inter
After missing five matches and being sidelined for 46 days, Lautaro returned to the pitch and needed less than a minute to resume his scoring streak. The clock at San Siro hadn’t even hit the first minute of the match when Martínez scored into the corner following a pass from Marcus Thuram, leaving Mile Svilar with no chance.
After halftime, the Argentine struck again in the 52nd minute thanks to another assist from Thuram down the right flank.
This result, including the striker’s brace, allowed Inter (72) to extend their lead over Milan, their archrival, to nine points with seven matches remaining in the season.
However, that wasn’t all: with his goals, “El Toro” became the club’s third-highest all-time scorer. Martínez now has 172 goals, surpassing Roberto Bininsegna -a franchise legend and runner-up with Italy in the 1970 World Cup- Sandro Mazzola (161), and Luigi Cevenini (158), according to SCESPN.
Ahead of him in second place is Alessandro Altobelli with 209, and Giuseppe Meazza leads the table with 284, nearly 100 goals more than Lautaro.
Although he was substituted for Ange-Yoan Bony 13 minutes into the second half, he raised concerns after being seen with ice and a brace on his left calf-the area he injured during the first leg of the Champions League playoff against Bodo Glimt, from which he appears to have fully recovered, according to Olé.
Meanwhile, his return also gives the Argentina national team hope. Lautaro had tried to speed up his recovery to be ready for the Finalissima before it was suspended. However, following the news of the match’s cancellation, both Lionel Scaloni and Inter coach Cristian Chivu opted to prioritize his full recovery, without rushing things.
Thus, looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup -where Argentina will arrive as the defending champion after winning the title in 2022- Lautaro could be a viable option for Scaloni and the Albiceleste.
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