"But why do you have to mention Martinez? I'm interested in the reaction, Pepo had a high-level reaction, made important saves. I'm interested in the reaction, the pride, the personality. That's all I'm interested in." These are the words of technician Cristian Chivu to Sky's microphones, in defense of Josep Martinez after the mistake that led to Real Madrid's 2-0 goal.
The Inter coach analyzed the match lost by his team 2-1 in the debut in the League Phase of the 2026-2027 Champions League: "I'm not angry at all, I'm happy with my team, with the courage, with the personality. Mistakes are part of the game, I'm interested in the reaction, the way they stay on the field, how they believe until the end. I would say a good performance, trying to be dominant at the Bernabeu makes me happy and optimistic for the future. Mistakes are part of the game, today we take a good performance with us. We never speculated, we played openly."
What happened?
The mistake of goalkeeper Josep Martinez, who with his absurd action gave the Uruguayan Valverde the double, was sensational. A kind of arrogance in his abilities for the Spaniard who attempted a dribble and saw the ball snatched by the Real midfielder and end up in the net.
The black and blue goalkeeper became the protagonist, without his wish, of this "gaffe" that affected the match at the Santiago Bernabeu, but in the following minutes the goalkeeper of the reigning Italian champions took his personal revenge with several decisive interventions.
