Romelu Lukaku's celebration vs Juventus and why he was sent off explained

Racism remains prevalent in Italian football and Romelu Lukaku was the latest to face abuse during Inter's Coppa Italia semi-final second leg against Juventus on Tuesday night.

It's not the first time the Belgian striker has been targeted by racists while plying his trade in Italy, and others, including Moise Kean and Samuel Umtiti, have suffered similar abuse in recent years. In September 2019, Lukaku said football was "going backwards" in combatting racism.

It's an issue rooted in the Italian game, and one that seemingly won't go away.

Nevertheless, Lukaku was gifted a brilliant opportunity to hush his abusers when Inter were quite literally handed a late penalty by Juventus defender Gleison Bremer.

How did Romelu Lukaku celebrate vs Juventus?

It hasn't quite been the fairytale return to Inter for Lukaku. Injuries have limited his availability and efficacy, and he'd scored just five goals in 20 appearances before Tuesday's Coppa Italia tie.

Inter trailed heading into the closing stages thanks to Juan Cuadrado's late strike before Bremer's inexplicable handball gave Lukaku the chance to equalise from the spot.

The Belgian sent Mattia Perin the wrong way with his effort before stopping in his tracks, standing still, putting a finger to his lips, and saluting the home crowd behind the goal. As his teammates crowded over him, a few words were uttered towards those in the stands.

The reason for his celebration became clear post-match as his representatives, Roc Nation Sports International, revealed that the striker had been racially abused throughout the match.

“Romelu scored a penalty in the game. Before, during and after the penalty, he was subjected to hostile and disgusting racist abuse,” Michael Yormark, president of Roc Nation, said in a statement.

Why was Romelu Lukaku sent off vs Juventus?

Lukaku, who was booked in the 80th minute for a foul on Federico Gatti, curiously received a second yellow card from referee Davide Massa for his celebration towards the racist group of Juventus supporters.

It wasn't the last red card dished out by Massa on Tuesday night as a brawl broke out between both sets of players after the full-time whistle. Goalscorer Cuadrado and Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic engaged in a physical altercation, with the Colombian appearing to punch the Slovenian, and both were sent off as a result.