Marcus Thuram delivered a last-minute winning goal, propelling Inter Milan back to the summit of Serie A with a hard-fought 1-0 triumph over Roma at San Siro. Dominating the first half, Inter failed to convert their chances from Thuram, Hakan Calhanoglu, and Benjamin Pavard. Despite a seemingly insurmountable stalemate, Thuram found the back of the net in the 80th minute, condemning Jose Mourinho to defeat against his former team.
From the start, Inter displayed their clear intention to attack Roma. Their near opener came in the sixth minute when Calhanoglu’s powerful strike from 20 yards ricocheted off the crossbar. Denzel Dumfries’ cross reached Thuram inside the penalty area, whose initial header was blocked before he followed up with a magnificent save by Rui Patricio.
Inter relentlessly bombarded Roma’s defense with wave after wave of attacks, while the latter remained passive. Henrikh Mkhitaryan came close to scoring, first firing wide from 12 yards and then volleying over from outside the box. Pavard squandered an opportunity when, 30 minutes into the contest, he shot well wide of the target with ample space inside the area.
The second half mirrored the same dynamic as the first, with Inter assuming control and Thuram heading over from Calhanoglu’s free-kick. By the one-hour mark, Roma had yet to register a single shot on goal, while Inter managed their second on target as Thuram’s chested pass found Lautaro Martinez, whose deflected effort was easily saved by Patricio.
In the 65th minute, Roma had a chance to break the deadlock when Stephan El Shaarawy was fouled by Alessandro Bastoni on the edge of the box. However, Leandro Paredes squandered the resulting free-kick, striking it straight into the defensive wall. Finally showcasing their offensive abilities, Roma came close to scoring when Bryan Cristante’s powerful header threatened the goal, but goalkeeper Yann Sommer was vigilant, preserving the goalless scoreline.
As the game opened up, Inter surged forward in search of a goal, but Calhanoglu’s shot deflected wide. Still, Inter persisted in their attacking efforts, resulting in a promising cross from Federico Dimarco into the six-yard box, but Thuram failed to convert it into a goal. The pivotal moment occurred in the 80th minute when Thuram capitalized on Dimarco’s cross, finally breaking the deadlock and granting the hosts a well-deserved lead.
Carlos Augusto came agonizingly close to adding a sensational second goal, unleashing a thunderous 30-yard strike that struck the crossbar, leaving the final score at 1-0 in favor of Inter Milan.
