Marcus Thuram 'grabbed' Stefan Savic by the balls and VAR did absolutely nothing about it

Marcus Thuram grabbed Stefan Savic by the balls in a strange instance of gamesmanship during Inter's Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid.

With Atletico leading 2-1 at the Civitas Metropolitan, and the scores locked at 2-2 on aggregate, Thuram grabbed Stefan Savic's testicles while the pair battled for the ball.

A VAR check followed but Thuram managed to avoid a red, with the France international subsequently substituted.

Naturally fans on social media were quick to react to the incident.

Marcus Thuram certainly left his mark on Stefan Savic... 😳#UCL pic.twitter.com/QJVfrj1pYG

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 13, 2024

One fan said on X, the social media platform formally known as Twitter: "Bro’s focused on the wrong ball."

A second joked: "First ball Thuram has been able to control this match."

A third asked: "How is he not getting red carded for that?"

A fourth said: "Surely thats a red???"

A fifth person added: "VAR took a toilet break at this very moment!"

Beyond the incident, Atletico claimed an unlikely penalties win over Serie A leaders Inter after Lautaro Martinez skied a decisive spot-kick over the bar.

Inter had headed into the Champions League second leg with a slim 1-0 aggregate lead, while domestic form pointed to certain victory for last term's Champions League runners up.

Inter are some 16 points clear at the Serie A summit, while they entered the game having won 13 straight matches across all competitions.

Atletico, meanwhile, sit fourth in the La Liga having lost five of their last eight.

Antoine Griezmann cancelled out Federico Dimarco's opening goal, while Memphis Depay scored in the 87th minute to bring the tie to 2-2 on aggregate and force extra-time.