The contest had been short on incident until the 21-year-old striker headed the champions ahead from a corner in the 74th minute.

Inter waited more than an hour before spluttering into life.

Martins' strike partner Julio Cruz came close to breaking the deadlock, firing a shot through a defender's legs that almost caught Parma keeper Alfonso De Lucia by surprise.

Inter midfielder Santiago Solari was next to threaten the home team's goal when he hooked a Martins cross over the bar from close range.

Once Martins had scored, Parma never looked like getting an equaliser. Martins nearly grabbed a second when he broke through a gaggle of defenders before firing straight at De Lucia.

"It wasn't our best display of the season, but we did what we had to. It was a positive result," Inter coach Roberto Mancini said.

In an earlier last 16 match, Serie B side Atalanta produced a strong second-half display to grab a 1-0 win over Champions League contenders Udinese.

Udinese dominated possession in the first period, hitting the woodwork twice and forcing the home team to spend long spells in their own half.

It seemed only a matter of time before the visitors scored but they went behind in the 53rd minute when Brazilian defender Felipe's weak clearance found Antonino D'Agostino and the Atalanta striker tucked the ball in at the near post.

Atalanta began to play with more confidence and six minutes later Udinese keeper Gabriele Paoletti had to pull off a close-range save to prevent defender Daniele Capelli making it 2-0.

Striker David Di Michele wasted Udinese's best chance when he fired wide after going through one-on-one against keeper Andrea Ivan.