Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid — September 8, 2026
Real Madrid opened their 2026-27 UEFA Champions League campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Inter Milan, in a match that doubled as José Mourinho’s first Champions League outing against one of his former clubs. Two early defensive errors from Inter proved decisive, as Kylian Mbappé and Federico Valverde punished the visitors inside the first 23 minutes, before a spirited second-half fightback from Cristian Chivu’s side made for a nervy finish at the Bernabéu.
Early Errors Settle a Cagey Start
Inter began the brighter of the two sides, pressing high and forcing an early save out of Thibaut Courtois through Marcus Thuram. Hakan Calhanoglu and Lautaro Martínez also tested the Belgian goalkeeper from distance in the opening exchanges.
Against the run of play, Madrid struck first in the 14th minute. Yann Bisseck was dispossessed cheaply near his own box, allowing Brahim Díaz to slip a first-time pass through for Mbappé, who finished calmly to put the hosts ahead.
Nine minutes later, Inter handed Madrid a second gift. With Inter goalkeeper Josep Martínez attempting to play out from a back-pass rather than clearing his lines, Valverde closed him down, won the ball off his feet, and rolled it into an empty net to make it 2-0.
Inter Push Back, Courtois Stands Firm
Inter dominated large spells of possession for the rest of the match — finishing with as much as 59-64% of the ball depending on the data provider — and continued to create chances through Calhanoglu, Thuram and Lautaro Martínez. Courtois was repeatedly called upon, making several key saves to preserve Madrid’s cushion, including turning away a fierce Calhanoglu free-kick.
Inter’s pressure eventually told in the 77th minute, when Carlos Augusto got ahead of Denzel Dumfries’s marker to turn home a low centre from Lautaro Martínez, cutting the deficit to 2-1 and setting up a tense finish.
Madrid, reinforced defensively by Marc Cucurella, weathered the late Inter onslaught. Courtois produced one more crucial save late on to deny a deflected Henrikh Mkhitaryan effort, while Vinícius Júnior and Brahim Díaz threatened on the counter-attack to help see the game out.
By the Numbers
- Final score: Real Madrid 2-1 Inter Milan
- Scorers: Mbappé (14′), Valverde (23′) — Real Madrid; Carlos Augusto (77′) — Inter
- Expected goals (xG): Real Madrid 2.91 – 1.78 Inter
- Shots: Inter had more attempts overall, but Madrid were more clinical with their efforts on target
- Saves: Courtois made several key stops on his 100th Champions League appearance; Josep Martínez also made a number of saves at the other end despite his costly error
Talking Points
With this goal, Mbappé moved level with Real Madrid legend Raúl on the list of all-time Champions League scorers, with Karim Benzema’s tally next in his sights. For Courtois, the win came on a landmark 100th appearance in the competition.
For Mourinho, it was a winning start against a former club, though the manner of the victory — built on Inter’s individual errors rather than clear-cut dominance — suggests there is still plenty of work to do if Real Madrid are to mount a serious Champions League title challenge this season.
Real Madrid will next look to build on this result as their league-phase campaign continues, with fixtures against sides including PSV, Arsenal and Roma still to come.