Soccer Football - Champions League - BSC Young Boys v Inter Milan - Stadion Wankdorf, Bern, Switzerland - October 23, 2024 Inter Milan's Marcus Thuram celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
BERN (Reuters) -Substitute Marcus Thuram scored in stoppage time to give Inter Milan a 1-0 win at Swiss champions Young Boys in the Champions League on Wednesday after the Italian side had missed a penalty early in the second half.
Inter, finalists in 2023, struggled against the hosts' solid defence until Federico Dimarco teed up Thuram with a brilliant cross from the left and the France forward sealed the win from point-blank range.
Inter, who beat Red Star Belgrade 4-0 at home after earning a precious goalless draw at Manchester City in their competition opener, moved up to seventh place with seven points from three games.
Marko Arnautovic could have given Inter the lead from the spot in the 48th minute but Young Boys goalkeeper David von Ballmoos dived to deny his low strike before blocking a follow-up from Denzel Dumfries.
Visiting Inter had more possession from the start but the hosts showed more intent in an intense first half, creating numerous chances as they pressed high.
Inter defender Benjamin Pavard cleared Alan Virginius's header just in front of diving goalkeeper Yann Sommer in the 22nd minute, before Young Boys went on to threaten Inter's goal in a similar way through Lukasz Lakomy minutes later.
The determined Swiss side had a 10th attempt before Inter registered their first, when Von Ballmoos pulled off a great save to deny Inter defender Yann Bisseck from close range after the half-hour mark.
Inter looked more comfortable towards the break as they gradually took control but the excitement in the visiting sector was dampened after the restart when Arnautovic missed a chance to take the lead from the spot.
Young Boys continued to confidently seek their chances and Joel Monteiro dribbled past Inter's defence to hit the post from the edge of the box on the hour mark.
Dangerous up front, the hosts also looked to have learned their lesson from heavy defeats against Aston Villa (3-0) and Barcelona (5-0), and their well-organised back line persisted as Inter's desperate attempts for a winner increased.
Lautaro Martinez had a chance from a distance before fellow substitute Piotr Zielinski misfired from near the penalty spot, sending the ball well above the bar.
Thuram, however, found a way past Von Ballmoos, after coming on for Mehdi Taremi in the 76th minute.
Young Boys, who are under interim coach Joel Magnin after the club dismissed coach Patrick Rahmen earlier this month following a woeful start to the season, sit second from bottom without a point.
They next travel to Shakhtar Donetsk on Nov. 6 when Inter host Arsenal.
(Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk, editing by Ed Osmond and Clare Fallon)
