Lautaro Martinez Injury Leaves Inter Cautious After Bodo/Glimt Defeat In Champions League Play-off

Inter face a nervous few days over Lautaro Martinez after a 3-1 Champions League loss at Bodo/Glimt left qualification in danger, with the forward substituted through injury and the Italian side now needing a strong comeback in Tuesday’s play-off second leg at San Siro.

Martinez limped off shortly after the hour mark, leaving Inter worried about the availability of the leading striker for the decisive home game, which already looked difficult after the Norwegian champions seized control of the first leg in the space of a few ruthless minutes.

Inter must overturn the two-goal deficit at San Siro despite a poor recent Champions League run, as they have now lost four of their last five matches in the competition, compared with only four defeats across the previous 34 fixtures, when they recorded 22 wins and eight draws.

The tie was level at 1-1 when Martinez came off, after Francesco Pio Esposito had briefly given Inter hope by cancelling out Sondre Fet’s opening goal, but Bodo/Glimt struck twice almost immediately through Jens Petter Hauge and then Kasper Hogh, who added a goal to two earlier assists.

Inter’s task is also shaped by an unfavourable history in knockout ties, as they have gone out of the European Cup or Champions League in nine of their last 10 two-legged ties after losing the first match, a trend which increases the pressure on Cristian Chivu and the squad before the return leg.

Chivu initially feared the worst about the striker’s condition, saying Martinez was effectively unavailable before clarifying the situation and stressing the seriousness of the blow, stating: "Itmeans Lautaro got injured, its pretty serious. I think he is hurt and he will be out for a while."

Inter struggled to contain Bodo/Glimt’s counter-attacks during key phases, which Chivu highlighted when analysing the defeat and the defensive organisation, explaining the issues his side encountered by admitting: "The problem is that on some transitions we were surprised by their speed on the break," a weakness that Bodo/Glimt punished repeatedly.

The surface at Aspmyra Stadion also came under discussion after Inter found it hard to build rhythm on the artificial turf, with Chivu acknowledging the home side’s advantage by saying: "Bodo/Glimtare more accustomed to this pitch, thats not an excuse," while still underlining that Inter should have adapted better during the match.

Despite the defeat, Chivu insisted the contest remains alive before the second leg, pointing to the remaining opportunity and saying: "The tie is wide open, theres the return leg to come. We knew they are a team that can hurt you on the break, now well try to advance to the next round at San Siro."

Bodo/Glimt looked sharp despite having played only four competitive matches since the start of December, all in the Champions League, and the Norwegian club are unbeaten across that run with three wins and one draw, suggesting match fitness and confidence will not be an issue before travelling to Italy.

The outcome at San Siro will depend on Inter reversing both the scoreline and recent European form while coping with a likely absence for Martinez, whereas Bodo/Glimt take a strong lead and growing momentum into the second leg after exposing Inter’s problems in transition and on the artificial surface in Norway.