Inter striker Romelu Lukaku has finally given the Nerazzurri the kind of performance that they have been waiting for all season against Porto yesterday evening.

This is the view in today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, who argue that the Belgian showed much more than just goalscoring prowess in the Champions League round of sixteen win.

Lukaku replaced Edin Dzeko just before the hour mark of yesterday’s match.

The Nerazzurri had been lacking some presence against Porto’s experienced defensive duo of Pepe and Ivan Marcano, as the Bosnian struggled to impact the match.

Lukaku proceeded to give the two defenders much more to think about, pushing the Portuguese team back and allowing the Nerazzurri up the pitch with more ease than had been the case in the first part of the second half.

This was already a big part of the reason why the 29-year-old was brought back from Chelsea, and then his goal late in the match capped things off.

If Lukaku can finally start putting in displays at this level on a regular basis after struggling with fitness and form for much of the campaign, he will finally show why Inter signed him, the Gazzetta argue.

The Belgian may never again be quite the focal point of the team as he had been under Antonio Conte, the newspaper notes, but with displays like yesterday’s he can make a strong case for himself as an automatic starter in big matches ahead of Edin Dzeko.