Marcus Thuram's double helped Inter defeat Ajax 2-0 at the Johan Cruyff Arena to begin their Champions League redemption tale. The Nerazzurri had a poor start to their Serie A campaign and were crushed 5-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the previous season's championship.
However, Thuram was the highlight of Cristian Chivu's team's much-needed victory in Amsterdam on Wednesday. In the 35th minute, Inter believed they had a penalty, but Thuram was given a penalty for fouling Youri Baas after a VAR review. When Mika Godts was pushed through one-on-one with Yann Sommer in the 40th minute, Ajax had a fantastic chance to take the lead, but the Swiss custodian held firm and denied the Belgian forward. Two minutes later, Inter broke the impasse with a thunderous header from Thuram from an outswinging Hakan Calhanoglu corner, making Ajax pay.