Racing's forward Adrián Martínez broke his silence and apologized for the controversy surrounding the penalty he executed against Independiente in the 1-0 defeat last Saturday in the 'Clásico de Avellaneda', valid for the thirteenth date of the Apertura Tournament. The 'Academy' attacker gave television statements this Tuesday, to which the Argentine News Agency had access, following his team's 3-1 victory over Independiente Petrolero of Bolivia in the debut of the 2026 Copa Sudamericana. 'I made the decision, it didn't work out, and with the final result, obviously, everything got worse,' he explained. And he concluded: 'Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, I was humbled for wanting to exalt myself.' Finally, he asserted: 'I have always given everything for the jersey and I will continue to do so, this time I erred and another time there were even more decisive penalties and I converted,' making it clear that he never wanted to showboat. 'The score was 0-0, it's not that we were 3-0,' he added. On the other hand, Martínez was reflective about the anger of Racing fans over his penalty kick and his team's subsequent defeat. In addition, he denied any sign of disrespect for the way he took the penalty against 'Rojo': 'It was not a lack of respect for the rival. I want to apologize to the fan who came to support us the day before (at the banner at the Cilindro).'
