Last year’s losing UEFA Champions League finalists, Inter, began their new campaign with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Ajax in Amsterdam. French striker Marcus Thuram was the hero of the night, scoring a brace of headers from Hakan Calhanoglu’s pinpoint corners to secure all three points for the visitors.
The match was a Champions League return for Ajax after a two-year absence, and manager John Heitinga opted for a cautious approach, leaving several high-profile summer signings on the bench. The first half was a tense affair, punctuated by a key moment when Inter were initially awarded a penalty after Youri Baas was judged to have fouled Thuram. However, a VAR review correctly overturned the decision, penalising Thuram for a shirt pull of his own. Moments later, Ajax had a golden opportunity to take the lead, but Mika Godts’ one-on-one effort was too weak to trouble Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
That missed chance proved costly. Just a minute later, Inter opened the scoring when Thuram rose above the Ajax defense to powerfully head in a corner from Calhanoglu. The duo replicated the feat just after the half-time break, with Thuram again heading home from a Calhanoglu delivery to double Inter’s advantage.
With a two-goal lead, Inter were content to absorb pressure for the rest of the second half. Ajax, despite their best efforts, struggled to create clear-cut chances, and their late opportunities, including a header over the bar from substitute Kasper Dolberg, failed to test the solid Inter defence.
The win gives Inter a strong start to their 2025/26 campaign, while Ajax will look to bounce back in their next match away at Olympique Marseille.
