Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid began their Champions League campaign on Tuesday with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over his former club, Inter Milan. The win at the Santiago Bernabeu provided a crucial response following the team’s recent La Liga defeat to Real Betis.
The match saw Madrid capitalize on two significant defensive lapses from the visitors during the first half. In the 14th minute, a misplaced pass from Curtis Jones forced Yann Bisseck into a difficult position; Brahim Diaz intercepted the ball and quickly set up Kylian Mbappe, who fired home the opening goal.
Madrid doubled their lead shortly after when Inter goalkeeper Josep Martinez hesitated while in possession. Fede Valverde aggressively closed him down, pried the ball away from the keeper, and slotted it into the net to make it 2-0.
Despite the deficit, Inter Milan remained a threat throughout the contest. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was instrumental in maintaining Madrid’s lead, producing a series of vital saves to deny Marcus Thuram, Lautaro Martinez, and Alessandro Bastoni. Courtois also thwarted a deflected effort from Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the closing stages to preserve the result.
The visitors eventually found a breakthrough in the 77th minute when Carlos Augusto converted a cross from Lautaro Martinez. The goal set up a tense finish, though Madrid managed to hold firm despite a brief moment of frustration from supporters regarding a substitution delay involving Vinicius Junior and Alvaro Carreras.
Madrid missed several opportunities to extend their lead before the late pressure. Josep Martinez recovered from his earlier error to make a sensational save against Jude Bellingham, who later squandered another golden chance by choosing to control the ball rather than heading home immediately.
Mourinho, who famously led Inter Milan to Champions League glory at the Bernabeu in 2010, returned to the helm this season with the goal of ending the club’s recent trophy drought. Following early European exits in previous years, the club’s leadership brought the Portuguese manager back to stabilize the squad.
While the victory was not without its nervy moments, it marked a positive start to the league phase for the 15-time European champions. The match highlighted both the clinical nature of Madrid’s attack and the necessity for further defensive discipline as the competition progresses. The report also notes that the last time either they or he managed to lift the trophy, a few days before joining Los Blancos for his first stint at the helm, madrid coach Mourinho led the Italian side to Champions League glory in 2010 at the same stadium. The report also notes that the Italians started energetically in attack but were destabilised by two grievous errors at the back. The report also notes that mbappe blazed past Inter’s defence and Martinez saved his low shot before somehow blocking Bellingham’s effort from point-blank range. The report also notes that with Martinez saving from Mbappe and Diaz then sliding narrowly wide, madrid carved Inter open but could not put the game to bed. The report also notes that because Vinicius Junior took too long to come off when he was replaced, madrid fans were upset when Alvaro Carreras was made to wait for a minute on the sidelines before he could come on as a substitute.
