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ROME -- Inter won 1-0 against AS Roma at San Siro on Sunday thanks to a goal scored by Marcus Thuram, but all eyes were on Romelu Lukaku and his comeback at San Siro. His former Inter fans, the ones that supported him over the last years, were all against him. They waited for him before the game when the teams arrived at San Siro, they whistled him when he entered the pitch for the pre-game training, they whistled him for the entire clash and it impacted the match. It was Thuram, the striker who replaced Lukaku in the Inter's starting eleven, who decided the game with a goal scored in the last minutes. 

It all started this summer when Lukaku refused to rejoin Inter after the Italian side reached an agreement with Chelsea for a permanent transfer. Inter directors and fans were not expecting it as they let Edin Dzeko go in the summer as free agent to create the room that "Big Rom" needed to play regularly alongside Lautaro Martinez. Lukaku, who played at Inter last season on loan from Chelsea, remained without a real home until August, when Jose Mourinho's AS Roma jumped into the race and signed him on loan until the end of current season. Inter fans felt betrayed by their former idol, especially after they decided to "pardon" him after his first exit in the summer 2021, when Lukaku joined Chelsea after promising "eternal love" to the fans. Goals, interviews and his attitude convinced Inter fans who started to support him again, just like when under Antonio Conte Inter managed to win the Scudetto in 2021, with Lukaku as one of the key players of the team. 

The second betrayal was too much for the fans, especially because reports suggest he was also in talks with AC Milan and Juventus in the summer before agreeing to join the Giallorossi. From that moment, Inter fans eagerly awaited his return to Milan. Of course, all the eyes were on him the moment he arrived at the stadium. Thousands of fans gathered in front of San Siro and waited for the bus of the Giallorossi insulting and whistling.

Inter ultras organised something for his comeback and distributed around 30,000 whistles to fans. Every single time Big Rom touched the ball, the whole stadium was whistling him. The first real meeting between the home fans and Lukaku arrived around 30  minutes before the kickoff when the guests entered the pitch to warm up. Lukaku smiled when the whole stadium started to whistle him when the images on the big screen showed him, and he couldn't do much but clapp at the AS Roma fans that have supported him this season. 

When the lineups were announced and when the name of Lukaku was heard, the whistles became louder than ever before but the tension blew up when the teams entered the pitch and the two sides shaked hands. Once again, all the eyes were on Lukaku, who was ignored by his former teammates, that barely looked him into his eyes. His old friends, Lautaro and Federico Dimarco in particular, seemed cold and didn't give him much attention. Of course, the fans on the stands were the opposite and started again to whistle him every single time he was on the ball. 

The game was definitely affected by the tension between Lukaku and his former club. Despite Inter creating a lot of chances in the first half, the Nerazzurri only scored the opening and deciding goal of the clash in the last ten minutes, when Thuram scored the goal of the night. Thuram, the striker who replaced Lukaku in the starting eleven, was celebrated by the whole stadium and by his fans, especially Lautaro, who seemed particularly happy about the goal scored by his teammate in such a big moment. 

When the game ended, once again, all the eyes were on Lukaku. No Inter players or coach Simone Inzaghi himself, shaked hands with him. He went close to the Giallorossi fans, waved to them and went back in the dressing room. On the other side of the pitch, Lautaro was jumping and singing with his new attacking partner, who became the hero of the day. Not only because of the goal scored, but because he embraces what Inter fans wanted after the "betrayal" of Lukaku.

Sunday was a big win for both Inter and Thuram, but Lukaku will look for his revenge next year, when on Feb. 11 AS Roma will host Inter at the Stadio Olimpico, his new home. In the meantime, Inter can be sure that they don't need Lukaku anymore, because they've got Thuram, the new king of Milan.