Lautaro Martínez scored in second-half stoppage time and Inter Milan beat Napoli 1-0 in the Italian Super Cup final on Monday to lift the first trophy of the season, although both the player and the team have loftier ambitions for the rest of the campaign. Lautaro struck in the first minute of stoppages, just as it appeared as if Napoli would take the match to penalties despite having played for half an hour with 10 men after Giovanni Simeone was sent off for two yellow cards in the space of five minutes. Lautaro tore off his jersey and raced the entire length of the field to celebrate in front of the Inter fans in Riyadh, followed by his joyous teammates.
Lionel Messi and his Argentina lineup will be back on World Cup duty this week, when their bid to defend the title starts in South American qualifying. Argentina will face Moisés Caicedo’s Ecuador on Thursday at the Monumental de Nuñez Stadium in its first official match since winning the World cup in December. The last time a World Cup winner played in South American qualifying was in 2003, when Brazil had to secure its spot in a tournament with 32 teams.