Inter finally broke a rugged Roma down with Marcus Thuram’s tap-in, having hit the crossbar twice, as Romelu Lukaku made little impact on his San Siro return.
Local ultras were banned from handing out 30,000 whistles because it would disrupt the referee’s job, but did it anyway, giving a fiery welcome on Lukaku’s first time back at San Siro as an opponent since his bitter departure. Paulo Dybala, Leonardo Spinazzola, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Renato Sanches, Chris Smalling, Tammy Abraham and Marash Kumbulla were injured, while the Nerazzurri missed Marko Arnautovic and Juan Cuadrado. Jose Mourinho was suspended and watched from the press box.
Hakan Calhanoglu rattled the frame of the goal within six minutes, unleashing a screamer from outside the box that cannoned against the crossbar.
Rui Patricio then stuck out a leg to parry from point-blank range as Denzel Dumfries found Marcus Thuram and the Federico Dimarco strike flashed across the face of goal.
Benjamin Pavard shinned a volley on another Dumfries cross, while Nicolò Barella also blasted over.
After the restart, Calhanoglu’s free kick was flicked on for the Thuram header over the bar, while the first genuine Roma attack of the entire game was at the 66th minute, a Bryan Cristante looping header that Yann Sommer flew to palm out of the far bottom corner.
Inter immediately went on the counter, Calhanoglu’s deflected strike going just wide with Rui Patricio stranded. Both Dumfries and Thuram came sliding in, unable to meet the Dimarco ball across the six-yard box.
The same happened with Lautaro Martinez at the back post on a Bastoni cross, but the deadlock was finally broken in the closing stages.
Federico Dimarco was sent down the left by a Kristjan Asllani cross-field pass and kept his assist low for Thuram to tap in, as Diego Llorente seemed to be caught napping.
Carlos Augusto thought he’d added a second in the final minute of regular time, but the long-range left-foot screamer smacked against the crossbar.
Cristante had a strike from a huge distance that flew off target deep into stoppages.
Inter 1-0 Roma
Thuram 81 (I)
Player statistic
| 14' |  |
Gianluca Mancini | ||
| Benjamin Pavard | |
33' |
| 47' | |
Evan Ndicka | ||
| 50' | |
Leandro Paredes | ||
| Hakan Calhanoglu | |
56' | ||
| Alessandro Bastoni | |
64' | ||
| 68' | |
Bryan Cristante | ||
| Marcus Thuram (Assist: Federico Dimarco) |
 |
81' |
Match statistic
