Lautaro Martinez: ‘Inter do not give up, we have head and heart’ after 4-3 aggregate victory

MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 16: Lautaro Martinez of FC Internazionale celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Quarter Final Second Leg match between FC Internazionale Milano and FC Bayern München at San Siro on April 16, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Lautaro Martinez praised Inter’s guts after they knocked Bayern Munich out to reach the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona. ‘We do not give up, we’ve got head and heart.’

It was a hard-fought tie over both legs, but ultimately the 2-1 victory in Munich proved decisive, because it was 2-2 at San Siro this evening.

Harry Kane’s angled drive sparked a furious fightback, as within nine minutes Lautaro Martinez and Benjamin Pavard had turned it around from corner situations.

Eric Dier made the final score 2-2 with a looping header from a very odd angle, but Inter held on and will face Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final.

Lautaro Martinez hails Inter head and heart

“It was certainly an epic match and one we will remember for a long time, because Inter have two giant balls,” Lautaro Martinez told Amazon Prime Video Italia.

“There is so much hard work and sacrifice in this qualification. We do not give up, we’ve got both head and heart. It’s true, we suffered at moments in the game, but we can aim high.”

This is the second Champions League semi-final in the last three years, having lost the Final to Manchester City in 2023.

On top of that, Inter are still in the running for the Treble, sitting at the top of Serie A and preparing for next week’s Coppa Italia semi-final against Milan.

“Every year, we start out believing we can win it all, otherwise we wouldn’t bother playing this sport. I thank all the staff, my teammates and the fans, who are our 12^th man,” added Lautaro Martinez.

Now they take on Barcelona in the semi-final, who beat Borussia Dortmund 4-0 in the first leg of the quarter-final, only to lose the second 3-1.

“They are a great opponent with a lot of history. We’ve got to focus on the next game first, then it will be time to think about the Champions League.”