Inter's Romelu Lukaku Faces Racist Abuse as He Scores Game-Winner vs. Cagliari
Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku suffered racist abuse during Sunday's Serie A fixture at Cagliari, where he scored the winner in a 2-1 result for Antonio Conte's side.
Lukaku converted a spot-kick in the 72nd minute in what would prove the match-winning goal. Broadcaster Matteo Bonetti described the racist abuse occurred before and during the build to his decisive strike:
Sportswriter Andrew Cesare noted this is far from the first such racist incident that's occurred against Cagliari's supporters in recent times:
Lautaro Martinez scored Inter's first goal at Cagliari, who escaped sanctioning in May despite evidence showing then-Juventus striker Moise Kean suffered racist abuse from their fans, per BBC Sport.
Journalist Kristof Terreur expressed disbelief after he posted audio from the Saregna Arena, alleged to show Cagliari's fans making monkey noises during Lukaku's penalty:
Lukaku recently joined Inter from Manchester United in a deal reported to be worth €80 million (£74 million), hoping for a fresh start in Italy after his star fell at Old Trafford.
The Belgian frontman left the Premier League after scoring 42 goals in 96 appearances for United, also turning out for Chelsea, Everton and West Bromwich Albion during his time in England.
Lukaku got his Inter career off to a dream start when he scored in their recent 4-0 opening win over Lecce:
Earlier this year, the 26-year-old described it as a dream of his to play in Serie A, per Sky Sports: "Playing in Serie A is a dream, it would be really a dream. I hope to be able to play sooner or later, even if at the moment I am focused on the United."
Journalist James Benge joined in the chorus of those criticising the Cagliari crowd, while football writer Lars Pollmann said children were at least a part of the offending group:
Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly suffered racist abuse during a 1-0 defeat to Inter in December, when manager Carlo Ancelotti admitted his player was "subjected to monkey noises throughout the game."
Lukaku and the rest of the Inter squad will break for international duty and resume the Serie A campaign at home to Udinese on Saturday, September 14.
