Inter Milan made it two wins from two in the Champions League league phase as Lautaro Martinez's brace inspired a 3-0 victory over Slavia Prague at San Siro on 29 September.
The breakthrough arrived on the half-hour and owed everything to the Inter captain's pressing. Slavia goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek miscontrolled a short pass under pressure and Lautaro pounced to roll the ball into an empty net. Four minutes later the lead was doubled: Francesco Acerbi drove forward and picked out Marcus Thuram, who reached the byline and cut back for Denzel Dumfries to tap in at the near post.
Inter continued to dictate after the break and sealed the win in the 65th minute. Thuram flicked a backheel to Alessandro Bastoni, whose cross was turned in by Lautaro for his second of the night and his 157th goal in an Inter shirt.
The result was never in doubt. Slavia, set up in a deep 5-4-1, managed just one shot all evening as Inter rang up 21 attempts. Petar Sucic was denied a spectacular goal by a goal-line clearance from Stepan Chaloupek, and Thuram departed shortly after the third goal with what he described as a cramp.
The brace carried historical weight: Lautaro became the first Inter player to score in seven different European Cup/Champions League editions, moving one clear of Julio Cruz. It was also his third multi-goal Champions League performance for the club, after a hat-trick at Monaco in January 2025 and a previous double against Slavia in November 2019.
Cristian Chivu's side sit top of the fledgling league table alongside Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, and travel to Union Saint-Gilloise on 21 October chasing a third straight European win.
Sources
- https://football-italia.net/champions-league-inter-3-0-slavia-prague/
- https://www.inter.it/en/news/inter-slavia-praha-champions-league-2025-26
