October 04, (THEWILL) – Inter Milan won a valuable 1-0 UEFA Champions League victory over Benfica at the San Siro on Tuesday night. A first half goal from summer signing Marcus Thuram was enough to earn the three points for the hosts, despite a series of missed chances.
The game was a repeat of last season’s quarter final meeting between the sides, which saw Inter progress 5-3 on aggregate. Benfica supporters were banned from attending following crowd trouble in the previous tie.
Inter dominated the match and created multiple opportunities, with Denzel Dumfries guilty of wasting several in the opening period. Thuram, who arrived from Borussia Monchengladbach in July, finally made the breakthrough just after the hour mark thanks to good work down the right from Dumfries.
Despite continued pressure after going in front, Simone Inzaghi’s side were wasteful in front of goal. Lautaro Martinez hit the woodwork twice, while late efforts from Federico Dimarco and Martinez were also kept out.
The victory sees Inter move onto four points after two games in Group C following an opening draw away to Real Sociedad. Benfica have lost both of their matches so far.
