FANS were left confused after a screen grab emerged appearing to show Mike Maignan and Lautaro Martinez “kissing each other on the lips”.
The two stars were in action as AC Milan took on fierce rivals Inter at the San Siro on Monday night.
Always a big occasion, this derby took extra meaning – with Inter able to clinch the Serie A title with a win.
Simone Inzaghi’s side looked like doing just that, when they raced into a two-goal lead courtesy of goals by Francesco Acerbi and Marcus Thuram.
Milan tried to make a game of it, and halved their deficit when Fikayo Tomori headed home from close range with 10 minutes remaining.
Tempers began to flare in the turbo-charged atmosphere, and Denzel Dumfries and Theo Hernandez were both sent off following a scuffle in the 93rd minute.
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With the game then being played 10 vs 10, Milan desperately chased an equaliser that would stop the humiliation of handing their rivals the title.
When Stefano Pioli’s men were awarded a corner after the allocated five minutes of stoppage time had been played, they knew it would be their last chance.
Goalkeeper Maignan, 28, was sent up for it, as he had been for another set-piece a few minutes earlier.
As Samuel Chukwueze stood ready to take the corner, another skirmish began after Davide Calabria elbowed Davide Frattesi in the face.
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Amid the melee, Martinez and Maignan could be seen angrily grabbing hold of each other, with the latter wagging his finger in the Argentine’s face.
As they squared up to each other, a screenshot gave the illusion that they had kissed, when that was not the case.
Seeing the screenshot, one confused fan asked: “Is this real?”
While a second wrote: “I can’t believe this.”
A third joked of the warring duo: “In the midst of chaos last night Mike Maignan and Lautaro Martinez found love.”
Calabria received a red card for his role in the incident, with Inter holding on to win the title – sparking wild celebrations both at San Siro and across the city.
After the game, a delighted Martinez, 26, said: “I told the guys, ‘We find ourselves in a situation that’s never happened before.
“We needed to take advantage of this opportunity because, look around, the entire stadium is ours now.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
