Mbappe and Valverde Strike as Real Madrid Beat Inter to Start Champions League Campaign with a Win

Real Madrid 2–1 Inter Milan

Real Madrid began their new Champions League campaign with a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabeu. Federico Valverde and Kylian Mbappe scored for the Spanish giants, while Carlos Augusto pulled one back for Inter.

The opening 20 minutes suggested that this could be a difficult night for Real Madrid. Inter started brightly and created the better chances early on. Thibaut Courtois was forced into a fine save in the third minute to deny Marcus Thuram’s half-volley, before also keeping out Hakan Calhanoglu’s free-kick.

But Real soon took advantage of an Inter mistake to break the deadlock.

Benjamin Pavard’s back pass found goalkeeper Josep Martinez, who took too long to deal with the ball. Federico Valverde pressed quickly, won possession and calmly sent the ball into the empty net.

Real had managed only one shot on target at that stage, but it was enough to put them ahead.

The hosts doubled their advantage in the 14th minute through Kylian Mbappe. A mistake from Yann Bisseck allowed Brahim Diaz to collect the ball and immediately set up Mbappe, who made no mistake from close range.

The goal also saw Mbappe reach another landmark in European club competition. His tally moved to 71 goals, putting him level with Real Madrid legend Raul Gonzalez.

Inter responded strongly after the break and began putting Real’s defence under serious pressure. Curtis Jones forced another save from Courtois, while Lautaro Martinez also came close as Inter searched for a way back into the game.

Josep Martinez, meanwhile, recovered impressively from his first-half error. He denied Jude Bellingham’s header in the 58th minute and then kept out Mbappe’s effort with his legs eight minutes later. Brahim Diaz also came close with a curling effort.

Real continued to threaten on the counter but could not find the third goal that would have put the game beyond Inter.

The visitors refused to give up and eventually got their reward in the 77th minute. Lautaro Martinez produced a precise pass for Carlos Augusto, who finished clinically to reduce the deficit to 2–1.

Inter pushed hard for an equaliser during the final stages. In the 89th minute, Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s deflected shot changed direction dangerously, but Courtois reacted brilliantly to make another crucial save.

There was no late comeback, as Real Madrid held on for a 2–1 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Real started their Champions League campaign with three points, although the final stages showed that the victory was far from comfortable.