Inter Milan's Argentine forward Lautaro Martinez gests back up during the UEFA Champions League Group B football match Inter Milan vs Shakhtar Donetsk on December 9, 2020 at the Giuseppe-Meazza (San Siro) stadium in Milan. (Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP)
Conte’s decision came in the second half of the club’s make-or-break UEFA Champions League clash against Ukrainian club, Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday. Inter failed to win at San Siro and the 0-0 draw meant they were eliminated as they failed to reach the last-16 stage of the competition.
After being substituted in the second half, Martinez voiced his sentiments, clearly frustrated.
“He shook his head, trying to make eye contact with the coach before sitting on the bench,” according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“He also tried to make a gesture trying to gain his attention, but Conte remained focused on what happened on the pitch.”
The striker had also reacted badly when Conte replaced him during Samp-Inter back in October, but that time he was not happy with his performance.
This time around, Conte’s decision surprised him: “He seemed to be telling his coach: ‘Why are you replacing me when we need to score?’” according to the report.
Lautaro thought about joining Barcelona last summer as playing with Leo Messi would give him more chances to score. Now, both he and his teammates need to transform their anger into energy to achieve their other targets this season, the report claims.
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