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Inter Milan's Marcus Thuram and Juventus' Khephren Thuram in action. (Photo: Reuters/AP)
The Juventus-Inter Milan rivalry is arguably the biggest in Serie A, with encounters dubbed the Derby d’Italia. Scoring a goal in this game makes one an instant hero among fans and is a great joy for the family. Two brothers scoring in the same match would be a rare occurrence and an even bigger reason for celebration.
That’s what happened on Saturday as brothers Khephren and Marcus Thuram – sons of legendary French defender Lilian – were on scoresheet in the Juventus-Inter Milan thriller at Allianz Stadium, but only one of them was celebrating after the 4-3 win for the Old Lady of Turin. Reason: Marcus turned out for Inter.
Both brothers found the target within six minutes of each other, with Khephren making it 3-3 with about eight minutes of normal time left, before a long-range strike by 19-year-old substitute Vasilije Adzic in the first minute of injury time settled the contest in Juventus’ favour.
The hosts had taken the lead in the 14th minute through defender Lloyd Kelly, and the teams alternated goals, before Marcus put Inter ahead for the first time with a header off a corner. But two goals from Juventus in 10 minutes, including another header – this time off a free-kick – by the brother younger by four years, made all the difference.
Their father Lilian – who was present in the stands to watch his sons do battle – is considered one of the greatest defenders in the history of the game, part of the French teams that won the 1998 World Cup on home soil and the European Championship two years later. He was also in the side that reached the final of the 2006 World Cup. He will be remembered for two rare goals in the 1998 semi-final after Croatia had taken a shock lead. Those are Lilian’s only two goals for his country.
In an illustrious professional career, Lilian – who was born in Guadeloupe in the French West Indies before his family came to mainland France in 1981 – turned out for Monaco, Parma, Juventus and Barcelona. In an international career that spanned a decade and a half, he earned 142 caps for Le Bleus, a record that was eventually overtaken by goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in 2022.
His two sons, who starred in what some called the ‘Thuram derby’, were happy for each other.
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“After the goal, Marcus said, ‘well done’, with the eyes of a brother, but he wasn’t laughing,” Kephren – the victorious brother – was quoted as saying by DAZN.
“He teases me about headers, and so does dad, so today I’m happy.”
Apart from Marcus, Turkish midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu was also left with a bittersweet feeling having scored a brace for Inter in the losing cause.
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