Thuram's strike sends Inter past Roma in Serie A

　　FC Inter's Marcus Thuram (L) scores his goal during a Serie A soccer match between FC Inter and Roma in Milan, Italy, Oct. 29, 2023. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

　　ROME, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- Marcus Thuram took center stage in a highly-anticipated match on Sunday as his winner helped Inter Milan beat Roma 1-0 in Serie A.

　　Both sides entered Sunday's game in fine form, with Inter as the frontrunners on the table and Roma having registered five consecutive wins on all fronts. Romelu Lukaku made his first return to San Siro after his contract negotiations with Inter collapsed in the summer.

　　The home side was aggressive from the very beginning and almost took the lead in the sixth minute when Hakan Calhanoglu's screamer hit the woodwork.

　　The Nerazzurri kept pressing but couldn't unlock the defense until the 81st minute when a long ball over the top found Federico Dimarco who rolled it across for Thuram to tap in.

　　Inter had another chance in the dying minutes, but Carlos Augusto's curler hit the bar again.

　　In another eye-catching fixture, AC Milan fumbled a two-goal margin and settled for a 2-2 tie against Napoli.

　　The Rossoneri surged into a 2-0 lead in the first half as a pair of headers from Olivier Giroud put the away side firmly in charge, but Matteo Politano pulled one goal back straight after the break before Giacomo Raspadori's stunning free kick helped the Partenopei avoid a home defeat, despite Natan's red card at the closing stage.

　　With the frustrating tie, AC Milan dropped to third place with 22 points on the table, one point behind Juventus, while Inter Milan leads the race with 25 points.

　　Elsewhere, Cagliari completed a marvelous comeback win as they fought back from 3-0 down to turn around Frosinone 4-3 with Leonardo Pavoletti bagging a brace in stoppage time, while Monza shared the spoils with Udinese at 1-1. ■

　　FC Inter's Lautaro Martinez (L) vies with Roma's Romelu Lukaku during a Serie A soccer match between FC Inter and Roma in Milan, Italy, Oct. 29, 2023. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

　　FC Inter's Marcus Thuram (L) vies with Roma's Diego Llorente (R) during a Serie A soccer match between FC Inter and Roma in Milan, Italy, Oct. 29, 2023. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

　　FC Inter's Federico Dimarco (L) and Francesco Acerbi (R) vies with Roma's Romelu Lukaku during a Serie A soccer match between FC Inter and Roma in Milan, Italy, Oct. 29, 2023. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

　　Inter's Federico Dimarco (R) vies with Roma's Gianluca Mancini during a Serie A soccer match between FC Inter and Roma in Milan, Italy, Oct. 29, 2023. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)