Real Madrid beat Inter 2-1 in their opening Champions League league-phase fixture at the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday night, with goals from Kylian Mbappé and Federico Valverde giving the hosts a first-half cushion that Carlos Augusto's 77th-minute strike was not enough to overturn.
The damage was done inside 25 minutes and stemmed directly from Inter mistakes. Mbappé struck first after Curtis Jones surrendered possession in his own half, with Brahim Díaz threading the ball through for the Frenchman to finish from just inside the box. Valverde then doubled the lead nine minutes later when goalkeeper Josep Martínez attempted a drag-back on his line as the Uruguayan pressed — Valverde won the ball and rolled it into an empty net.
Martínez moved quickly to acknowledge his part in the second goal. Writing on Instagram, he said: "I take responsibility for my error on the second goal, we cannot concede two goals like that when facing an opponent like Real Madrid, who will not forgive you those mistakes." The Spaniard, who was second-choice behind Yann Sommer last season before taking over as number one, was only making his second Champions League appearance for the Nerazzurri — his third in the competition in total, with the other coming against Feyenoord in March 2025.
Martínez was not without credit, however. After his error he kept Inter alive with two significant saves on Jude Bellingham. The statistics from the night told a striking story of Inter's wider dominance: they led 12-3 on shots at half-time with 70 per cent possession and 125 final-third passes to Madrid's 13, yet they trailed by two goals at the break.
Bellingham spurned Madrid's most glaring chance of extending the lead, finding himself unmarked and five yards from goal before taking a touch that allowed Martínez to recover and block. Bellingham later posted on Instagram acknowledging the mistake, though Madrid held on regardless. Carlos Augusto converted Lautaro Martínez's pull-back in the 77th minute to set up a nervy finish, and Thibaut Courtois made seven saves in total, the last to deny Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the 89th minute as Inter pressed hardest for an equaliser.
Jones, making his first Inter start after joining from Liverpool last month for £30 million, played the full 90 minutes. His role in Mbappé's opener brought sharp criticism, while SofaScore credited him with three shots — one saved, one that struck the woodwork and one blocked — and a passing accuracy of 97 per cent from 71 of 73 attempts.
Off the ball, drama centred on Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen, who was caught on camera telling Inter midfielder Nicolò Barella to shut up in Italian during a tetchy final few minutes. Reports circulating in some Italian outlets claimed Huijsen had also made pointed remarks to Lautaro Martínez about Real Madrid's Champions League record, but those quotes originated from a satire account and were never made by the player.
The Bernabéu crowd added to the evening's turbulence, whistling their own players — including loud jeers for Vinicius Jr., who was replaced by Álvaro Carreras in the 86th minute — as Inter threatened a comeback. Trent Alexander-Arnold, who filled in at midfield in place of the suspended Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Guler and Bernardo Silva, was also met by whistles when he was withdrawn in the 79th minute.
Inter midfielder Diouf summed up the mood in the mixed zone afterwards, describing a lot of frustration, saying it was normal given that the team believed they had the quality to win and that there had been plenty of space to exploit. He acknowledged that mistakes at this level cost you, but said games like these offered valuable lessons.
Inter return to Serie A action next Monday when they host Udinese at San Siro.
Reporting: Football Italia, GiveMeSport, The Athletic, Daily Mail, The Independent, Footy Headlines, World Soccer Talk, Football España.