Martinez fires Inter to derby glory

Lautaro Martinez shot Inter Milan to a 1-0 derby triumph over crumbling champions AC Milan on Sunday.

Argentina forward Martinez headed home his 12th league goal of the season in the 34th minute at the San Siro to make sure that Inter remained in second place and plunge their local rivals even deeper into crisis.

Martinez has been given the Inter captaincy as Milan Skriniar wants to leave for Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent in the summer.

“Wearing the armband makes me very proud,” he told DAZN. “Ever since coming to Inter, I have tried to give my best, and this is a special game. We did it again.”

A third straight league defeat leaves Milan in sixth and in a downward spiral that threatens to completely ruin a season which less than a month ago looked to be going more or less according to plan. Stefano Pioli’s side have earned just five points from their six league matches since the World Cup.

Milan have to take on Tottenham Hotspur in their first Champions League last-16 tie since 2014 in less than 10 days.

Having already been thumped twice by Chelsea this season their chances of advancing in Europe also look slim.

They didn’t have a single shot on target in an underwhelming derby which was largely dominated by Inter, the nominal hosts on Sunday night, having changed formation and dropped Rafael Leao in order to stop conceding goals.