Marcus Thuram gives Inter Champions League win over Benfica

Inter Milan claimed a valuable Champions League victory with a 1-0 win over Benfica at the San Siro.

Marcus Thuram’s first goal in the competition for the club he joined in July was enough to take the three points after Inter had wasted a host of chances.

Lautaro Martinez – who came off the bench to score four times in Saturday’s 4-0 success at Salernitana – hit the woodwork twice in the space of six second-half minutes and Denzel Dumfries missed three golden opportunities.

But Dutch defender Dumfries made amends after 62 minutes by bursting down the right and picking out Thuram, who finished with aplomb at the near post.

The two sides had met as recently as April when a 3-3 draw saw Inter through 5-3 on aggregate at the quarter-final stage of the Champions League.

Benfica fans were banned from the San Siro this time after their supporters had launched lit flares into a crowd of Nerazzurri supporters six months ago.

Inter, who drew their Champions League opener at Real Sociedad, should have been ahead after 11 minutes when Hakan Calhanoglu picked out Dumfries with a delightful diagonal pass.

But Dumfries, arriving at pace at the far post, failed to keep his header down and the ball sailed over the crossbar.

Benfica’s best chance of a first half spoiled by too many offside flags came two minutes later.

Inter were caught dozing from Alexander Bah’s long throw that was arrowed into the path of Fredrik Aursnes.

The Norway international took a good touch to get the ball out of his feet and his decent low strike was pushed around the post by Yann Sommer.

Sommer was relieved again moments later as Angel Di Maria’s in-swinging corner clipped the top of his crossbar.

Dumfries was off target again with a scuffed volley wide before Calhanoglu charged through midfield to shoot straight at Anatoliy Trubin from 20 yards.

Trubin was extended two minutes before the interval after Nicolo Barella had cut inside and shifted the ball onto his right foot.

The second half was one-way traffic as Dumfries planted a free header wide and Martinez rattled the crossbar, with Thuram’s follow-up effort blocked and Trubin denying Barella with his legs.

Martinez then hit the post from close range before Thuram finally broke the deadlock.

Federico Dimarco was denied a first Champions League goal by another offside flag and Nicolas Otamendi cleared off the line from his fellow Argentinian Martinez.

The increasingly busy Trubin kept out Martinez twice in the closing stages as the striker’s frustrating night continued, while Benfica were condemned to a second successive group defeat after Sommer held Joao Neves’ late header.