Martinez sent his penalty over the bar to send Atletico through (Picture: Getty)
Lautaro Martinez missed a decisive penalty kick in the shootout between Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan after his ‘legs went’ as he stepped up to strike the ball.
Inter led 1-0 heading into Wednesday’s second leg clash at the Wanda Metropolitano with a place in the Champions League quarter-finals up for grabs
The Serie A leaders doubled their advantage after 35 minutes but Atletico responded moments later with Antoine Griezmann levelling on the night.
Needing another goal to send the tie to extra time and penalties, Memphis Depay came off the bench to score with a superb finish.
Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak was the shootout hero, saving penalties from Alexis Sanchez and Davy Klaasen to leave his side on the brink of victory. Martinez, arguably Inter’s best player on the night and their top scorer with 26 goals this season stepped up but fired a wild effort over the bar.
As he approached the penalty spot, Martinez was seen struggling to flick the ball up into his arms.
On punditry duty for TNT Sport, former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand was convinced from that moment he was destined to miss.
Martinez’s effort sailed well over the cross bar (Picture: Getty)
‘As he was walking up he tried to kick the ball up but he fumbled it as he was trying to do it,’ Ferdinand said post-match.
‘As he was doing this I was thinking, oh my God he can’t kick the ball up, he’s nervous, his legs have gone.
‘And he puts the ball down and from that moment I wasn’t confident, I thought he would miss. He looked down at the penalty spot too. he’s on a carpet out there!’
Joe Cole, alongside Ferdinand in the studio, was also doubting Martinez before he even kicked the ball.
‘He looked like a nervous man, someone usually so assured and clinical. But that is what it [a penalty shoot-out] does to you. Oblak dived a bit early but he didn’t take a look. He tried to lace it and he got it wrong.’
Atletico now await their quarter-final fate after joining Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain in Friday’s draw.