Insults to relatives and hints of witchcraft: because of what Ibrahimovic and Lukaku fought in the Italian Cup match

On January 27, a quarter-final match of the Italian Football Cup took place, in which Inter defeated Milan (2: 1).

The meeting turned out to be more than eventful.

The Nerazzurri won a strong-willed victory with a free kick in the 97th minute.

The disgraced Christian Eriksen became the author of the winning goal, and in the course of the confrontation the chief referee was replaced.

Paolo Valeri injured his thigh muscles and was forced to give up his seat to reserve judge Daniel Kiffy.

However, the most discussed was the clash between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku, which took place at the end of the first half.

The episode took place in the 45th minute.

Lukaku received the ball in the opponent's half of the field, but was shot down a few meters from the penalty area.

Apparently, he did not like how the captain of Milan Alessio Romagnoli acted against him, as a result of which the striker started to sort things out.

There was a conflict on the field, during which Romelu managed to quarrel not only with the Italian defender, but also with Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The Belgian came close to the Swede, but he made a movement with his head and his forehead hit his opponent in the chin.

After that, a verbal skirmish broke out between the players.

Due to the fact that there were no fans and intershum at the meeting, most of it became public.

So, on the video, you can hear Ibrahimovic addressing Lukaku in a rather rude form, after which he finally loses his temper.

Initially, some suggested that there was a racist insult by Ibrahimovic.

So, it seemed to the representatives of the publications that the Milan striker called the opponent a “monkey”.

In the current conditions, this could well turn into a long disqualification for him.

However, this information was later denied by both Zlatan himself and a number of media outlets.

According to Football Italia, during the confrontation, a Swede who spoke English used the word "donkey" (

RT

), which many took for the word monkey.

“Go do your voodoo shit, little donkey,” Ibrahimovic said.

According to Sportmediaset, the Belgian replied: "Do you want to talk about my mother, son of a bitch?"

The publication suggested that this could be a reference to the statements of Farad Mashiri, the owner of the English Everton, whose colors Lukaku defended from 2013 to 2017.

In one of the interviews, the functionary told why Romelu did not renew the contract with the club.

So, during one of the meetings, the footballer called his mother and said that during the pilgrimage he had received a message from a voodoo minister about the need to move to Chelsea, and therefore refused to sign a new agreement with the Merseysides.

It is all the more remarkable that in the end he chose not Roman Abramovich's club, but Manchester United.

Zlatan and Lukaku are going at it 😳 pic.twitter.com/yMLFI72tiz

- ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 26, 2021

Over the next minute, Lukaku desperately tried to break through to Ibrahimovic and again meet with him face to face, but the escalation of the conflict was prevented by other players from both teams.

They did not give the Belgian the opportunity to approach the Swede, while he continued to say something to the opponent with a smile on his face.

At the same time, Alexis Salemakers, who was trying to calm his compatriot, fell under Romelu's hot hand.

The midfielder tried in a friendly way to put his hand on his shoulder, but the attacker pushed her roughly.

As a result, the passions briefly subsided only after the arbiter intervened.

The forwards who provoked the conflict received a yellow card, and Inter was able to play a free kick.

True, it was not possible to extract dividends from it, as a result of which Antonio Conte's wards left for the break, losing in the long run.

It is noteworthy that the author of the only goal was Zlatan, who delicately shot into the far corner in the 31st minute.

However, the clarification of relations between Ibrahimovic and Lukaku did not end there.

Already on the way to the locker room, the conflict flared up with renewed vigor, which almost led to a scuffle.

The players exchanged a couple of insults, and Zlatan gestured to continue the conversation in the under-stands.

However, the partners once again divorced the opponents and did not allow them to arrange a brawl.

At the same time, Romelu was noted at once by several harsh expressions addressed both to the Swede himself and to his wife.

After the first half, it might have seemed that in the second, overexcited Lukaku could make a mistake and earn a removal, but in the end it was Ibrahimovic who left the field.

The 39-year-old Swede rushed after Alexander Kolarov and broke the rules in midfield, disrupting Inter's attack.

Valerie showed the offender a yellow card and left Milan in the minority.

As it turned out, this episode became one of the key ones in the match.

After some time, Conte's wards earned a penalty, which was confidently converted by the calmed Lukaku, and in the 97th minute, Eriksen put an end to it.

The Dane, who did not enjoy the confidence of his mentor, appeared on the field only two minutes before the end of regular time, after which he struck an irresistible free-kick.

Ciprian Teterushanu was powerless.

At the end of the meeting, the Romanian goalkeeper admitted that it was the removal of Ibrahimovic that became the key episode in the Italian Cup quarterfinals.

“We fought from start to finish.

It was a great game.

Unfortunately, Ibra's second yellow card changed the course of the match.

We tried to keep the result 1: 1, but a great goal in the end led to a defeat, ”Rai Sport quotes Teterushanu.

Rossoneri mentor Stefano Pioli agreed with him.

According to him, the clash between Ibrahimovic and Lukaku had a negative impact on the course of the meeting and prevented Milan from winning a ticket to the semifinals.

“Ibrahimovic has already apologized for his behavior.

This is what real champions do.

Zlatan really wanted to help the team, but fell into the trap of his desires.

We paid for these mistakes in the end of the match and could not achieve the desired result.

It shouldn't have happened, but it happened the way it did.

We are all very sorry, because we prepared well for the game, ”Pioli quotes ESPN.

The head coach of Inter also commented on the confrontation between the Swede and the Belgian.

Conte agreed that this sometimes happens on the pitch and noted how Lukaku managed to cope with emotions during the second half.

“To be honest, I've played on the pitch and I know that during a match, passions can run high and anger situations can arise.

The main thing is to keep emotions under control ... It was nice to see Romela so focused and purposeful.

Ibra is distinguished by the determination of a winner, a fighter, and I think that Romelu is also growing in this regard.

I can only rejoice seeing him so enthusiastic, ”concluded Conte.

With regard to the conflict between Ibrahimovic and Lukaku, it is of serious interest why there was tension between the athletes.

Indeed, from July 2017 to March 2018, both played for Manchester United and spoke very warmly about each other.

Zlatan, on the other hand, made a broad gesture and after Romelu came to the team, he left him the ninth number, under which he spent most of his club career.

Lukaku also admitted that Ibrahimovic had a serious impact on his attitude towards football.

According to the Belgian, he learned a lot from a more experienced colleague during a joint performance for the "Red Devils" and adopted the spirit of competition from him.