Real Madrid opened their 2026-27 Champions League campaign with a 2-1 victory over Inter at the Santiago Bernabéu on Monday night, but the scoreline barely tells the story of a match the visitors dominated for long stretches before being undone by two defensive lapses.
Inter were the better side from the opening whistle. Marcus Thuram forced a save from Thibaut Courtois inside three minutes, and Dean Huijsen made two crucial blocks on Andy Diouf and Hakan Çalhanoğlu as the Nerazzurri carved through Madrid's makeshift defence. Lautaro Martínez also tested Courtois, yet it was José Mourinho's side who took the lead against the run of play.
Curtis Jones's stray pass gifted possession to Brahim Díaz, who threaded through to Kylian Mbappé. The France striker applied a composed finish past Josep Martínez to make it 1-0 on 14 minutes. Ten minutes later, the Inter goalkeeper compounded the error by attempting a risky dribble in his own six-yard box. Federico Valverde pressed, pinched the ball and rolled it into an empty net to double Madrid's advantage.
Inter kept pushing. Jones struck the crossbar, and Çalhanoğlu tested Courtois with a free kick, but it was Madrid who came closest to a third when Bellingham squandered a tap-in and Brahim Díaz rattled the post. Josep Martínez redeemed himself with an extraordinary double save to deny Mbappé and Bellingham in quick succession.
The break came and with it renewed Inter pressure. Lautaro Martínez pulled back from the right by-line for Carlos Augusto, who swept in from six yards on 77 minutes to halve the deficit. Yan Diomandé, the €125 million summer signing, came off the bench and tested the goalkeeper, but Courtois held firm as Madrid saw out the closing stages.
Real Madrid were without Bernardo Silva, Arda Güler and Eduardo Camavinga through suspension, and both Manuel Akanji and John Stones were dropped. Inter travelled without the injured Federico Dimarco and Djed Spence, with Curtis Jones earning a first start. Denzel Dumfries faced his former Inter teammates for the first time since his summer move.
Sources
- https://football-italia.net/ucl-real-madrid-21-inter-error-champion-league/
- https://www.tuttomercatoweb.com/serie-a/inter-rimpianti-bernabeu-real-madrid-passa-2-1-regali-2271797
