Champions League | Inter 3-0 Monaco: Lautaro Martinez hat-trick hero

Football Italia

·29 January 2025

Champions League | Inter 3-0 Monaco: Lautaro Martinez hat-trick hero

Lautaro Martinez scored a hat-trick to send Inter through to the Champions League Round of 16, crushing 10-man Monaco.

Both teams were already guaranteed at least a play-off spot, but wanted to secure a top eight finish. Hakan Calhanoglu and Francesco Acerbi were still out of action, with Tomas Palacio loaned to Monza today. The Ligue 1 side missed ex-Torino defender Wilfried Singo, Folarin Balogun and George Ilenikhena, with new buy Mike Biereth ineligible.

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See how it unfolded on the Liveblog.

It took just four minutes to unpick the Monaco defence, as a poor clearance was intercepted and former Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria bundled into the back of Marcus Thuram for a penalty, which Lautaro Martinez converted hard and low down the centre.

Dumfries twice threatened a second, just unable to tap in the roll across first by Federico Dimarco, then on the Barella back-heel flick when he ran into Mohammed Salisu.

Monaco went down to 10 men when Christian Mawissa made a mess of dealing with a Dimarco pass and brought down Thuram when clear on goal. Dimarco’s resulting free kick was spectacularly palmed out of the top corner.

It was one-way traffic and Lautaro Martinez added a second when sent through by Barella, who had intercepted a poor pass out from the back, as a long VAR check was required for the potential offside position.

Referee Francois Letexier shows a red card to Yunus Musah of AC Milan, after showing him a second yellow card, during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD8 match between GNK Dinamo and AC Milan at Stadion Maksimir on January 29, 2025 in Zagreb, Croatia. (Photo by Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images)

MILAN, ITALY – JANUARY 29: Caio Henrique of AS Monaco is challenged by Nicolo Barella of FC Internazionale during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD8 match between FC Internazionale Milano and AS Monaco at Stadio San Siro on January 29, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Dimarco could’ve added more, sweeping millimetres off target when sent through by a Thuram back-heel flick, while Benjamin Pavard forced a tricky save after a well-worked move.

The third did arrive when Henrikh Mkhitaryan surged forward from inside his own half and the daisy-cutter was parried into the path of Lautaro Martinez, completing his hat-trick.

The captain was not satisfied with three, visibly furious with himself for hitting a fresh-air volley on a knocked-down corner, then just failing to get on the end of a ball flashed across the six-yard box.

Monaco were forced to play the last five minutes down to nine men, as Teze was stretchered off after they had completed all the substitutions.

Marko Arnautovic could’ve had a fourth, his header over from point-blank range.