Marcus Thuram has firmly established himself as a prominent figure in Serie A this season, showcasing his skills on the international front as well. The Inter Milan striker delivered a brilliant early goal, propelling his team to a 2-1 triumph over Feyenoord in the Champions League round of 16 second leg on Tuesday. Inter Milan advanced with a 4-1 aggregate scoreline, having benefitted from another Thuram goal in the initial leg. They are set to face Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals.
Thuram, son of the renowned Juventus defender and World Cup champion Lilian Thuram, seemed to have recovered from an ankle injury that had recently limited his play. Despite lingering pain, Thuram remarked, “I’ve had a problem with my ankle for a month, sometimes it hurts more, sometimes less. I’m not at 100% yet.” His performance at the San Siro illustrated a swift return to form, leaving fans in awe of his skill.
With less than eight minutes on the clock, Thuram received the ball deep into Feyenoord’s half, weaving through defenders with skillful agility before launching a powerful strike that found the top right corner of the net. This made him only the second Inter player to score in both legs of a Champions League round-of-16 tie, matching Dejan Stankovi?’s feat against Ajax in 2006.
Thuram came close to duplicating his impressive goal at the outset of the second half, slicing through the defense only to see his attempt soar just over the crossbar. Later, he rattled the framework once more with a blistering shot in the 70th minute. His energetic performance earned him a standing ovation when he was substituted shortly after.
Currently in his second season with Inter, Thuram has solidified his standing as one of the league’s elite players, having contributed significantly to the team’s Serie A triumph last year. Renowned primarily for his assists last season, Thuram has evolved into a prolific goal scorer, netting 13 goals along with four assists this Serie A season. Despite his accomplishments, he had only found the back of the net once in the group stage of Europe’s premier club competition, which was against Young Boys in October.
Inter Milan’s last Champions League victory dates back to 2010 when they won an iconic treble under manager Jose Mourinho, clinching the Serie A title and the Italian Cup. This season, the Nerazzurri are in pursuit of another treble, leading Serie A and having reached the Italian Cup semifinals, where they will face city rivals AC Milan. A crucial match against Atalanta looms on Sunday, with only three points separating them at the top of the table.
When questioned about Inter’s treble prospects, Thuram commented, “It’s not that I believe it or I don’t believe it. It’s that at Inter we play all the games to win. And if you do that, then at the end of the season beautiful things arrive.”
