"Please don't play him", "How does this guy start" - Barcelona fans unhappy with star's showing in 3-3 draw against Inter Milan

Barcelona fans online were unimpressed with Gerard Martin's performance during their 3-3 draw with Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League semifinal first leg on Wednesday (April 30). The Spaniard, who struggled to keep Denzel Dumfries under wraps, was replaced by Ronald Araujo in the second half.

Inter Milan had a perfect start to the game, opening the scoring through Marcus Thuram in the first minute. The Frenchman received a pass from Dumfries and flicked the ball past Wojciech Szczęsny in style.

Dumfries (21') doubled Nerazzurri's lead, having volleyed the ball into the net from close range following an assist from Francesco Acerbi. However, Lamine Yamal gave Barcelona a lifeline, having dazzled with the ball and placing it into the net in the 24th minute.

Ferran Torres (38’) placed the ball in the back of the net after being set up by Raphinha to restore parity for Barca (2-2). Following a cross from Hakan Calhanoglu, Dumfries directed his header into the net to put Nerazzurri ahead in the 64th minute.

One minute later, Raphinha released a strong shot from outside the box, which Inter's goalkeeper Yann Sommer failed to punch accurately. It was declared an own goal by Sommer, as Barcelona leveled the score.

Thus, the first leg in Spain ended 3-3 as neither of the teams backed down.

In 45 minutes on the pitch, Gerard Martin maintained a passing accuracy of 71% (22/31). He failed to win an aerial duel in five attempts, won one out of two ground duels, and lost possession of the ball 10 times (via Sofascore).

After the game, Barca fans complained about the Spaniards' display via X, with one tweeting:

"Please don’t play Gerard Martin. #HectorFort."

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"Gerard Martin shouldn't start any important match for barca, you guys keeps saying his decent, man is beyond average," another added.

"Gerard Martin is so s*it he shouldn’t be starting," a fan suggested.

"I can't stand gerard martin. Glad balde will be back," another revealed.

"We have soo many issues to sort out ... i dont want to see Gérard Martin anywhere near the second leg," an observant fan shared.

"Gerard Martin....How does this guy start for Barca," wrote another.

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"I'm very upset" - Lamine Yamal on Barcelona's 3-3 draw with Inter Milan

FC Barcelona v FC Internazionale Milano - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Semi Final First Leg - Source: Getty

La Blaugrana's attacking wonderkid, Lamine Yamal, said he was 'upset' with the result against the Nerazzurri. However, Yamal expressed confidence that Barca will win the second leg.

In an interview after the game against Inter, the Spaniard said (via Barca Universal on X):

"I'm very upset. We thought we could win the game completely, but now we're thinking about the second leg and we're going to go win it."

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Having scored Barcelona's first goal, Yamal was lethal during the first leg and will look to replicate his performance in the return fixture at the San Siro in Milan next Tuesday (May 6).

About the author

Abel is an European football journalist who focuses primarily on analysis pieces and preview copies at Sportskeeda. A B.Sc degree holder in Economics, he has a previous work experience of 3 years – a year at Opera News Hub where he was promoted as a 'Verified Sports Writer,’ and over two years at Sportskeeda as a revenue-share writer, where his writing skills have ultimately led him to be integrated into the in-house team.

A Manchester United fan who grew up in a family of Red Devils supporters, he started his journey as an ardent football fan in his childhood. He used to spend hours watching the sport with his family and developed a knack for writing about the beautiful game over the years.

He is a huge admirer of Paul Pogba owing to the midfielder's ability to thread passes from anywhere on the pitch and his favorite manager is Jose Mourinho due to the Portuguese's tactical mind. He feels France's triumph in 2018 is his all-time favorite World Cup moment, and reckons Lamine Yamal and Endrick could replicate the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Abel always strives to verify information, especially statistics, before penning a word and offers constructive but not defamatory criticisms. Apart from Europe's top five leagues, he follows the Eredivisie and the Primeira Liga. He loves to spend his free time playing video games like EA FC and watching movies.

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Edited by Parag Jain