Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez scored the decisive goal
against Napoli
Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez was thrilled after
matching Christian Viera's goal record with a last-gasp strike to beat Napoli
and win the Supercoppa Italiana.
The Argentine marksman fired home Benjamin Pavard's cross in
the 91st minute to ensure the Nerazzurri lifted the trophy for a third
consecutive year.
The result in Riyadh was further sweetened for Martinez, who
matched the Inter goal scoring tally of club legend Vieri.
He told Mediaset: "I didn't want to take off my jersey
because of the yellow card but the emotion took over and I couldn't
think.
"It was a unique moment, I scored my 100th goal in the
Coppa Italia final and today in the Supercoppa my 123rd goal allowed me to
match a legend like Christian Vieri."
Despite not being in top form, Martinez praised his
team-mates for their determination.
Lautaro Martinez's winning goal put him alongside Christian
Vieri on Inter Milan's all-time list
The 26-year-old added: "I am very proud and happy.
"We were eliminated from the Coppa Italia, so this was
an important objective. We played very well against Lazio and needed a great
performance tonight.
"It was tough. We had a day's less rest, we were not
sharp but I am proud of this team for bringing home the third consecutive
Supercoppa."
The tournament was the first of its new format, with four
teams taken from the winners and runners-up of Serie A and Coppa Italia.
The competition holds little value for Napoli owner Aurelio
De Laurentiis, who vented his frustration at the full-time whistle.
De Laurentiis, 74, said: "This Supercoppa that counts
for very little ends up damaging the real focus of our season.
"The marvelous thing about this Supercoppa final four is
that I didn't want it four or five months ago, because there are too many games
already and we should not have added fixtures outside of Italy too.
"I think from next season, with the increase of games
that UEFA have already imposed in all competitions, there is no real reason for
this trophy to exist."
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