Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid edged his former club Inter Milan 2-1 in a high-octane Champions League opener at the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday.
The record 15-time European champions raced into a two-goal lead in the first half after Inter were punished for costly defensive errors, with Kylian Mbappé and Fede Valverde getting on the scoresheet.
Inter fought back after the break through Carlos Augusto, but Cristian Chivu’s side could not find a late equaliser as Madrid held on for all three points.
The victory carried added significance for Mourinho, who guided Inter to Champions League glory in 2010 at the Bernabéu. It was the Italian club’s last European triumph and came shortly before Mourinho left for his first spell in charge of Madrid.
After two seasons without a major trophy and a series of early European exits, Madrid president Florentino Pérez turned to the Portuguese coach in an attempt to revive the club’s fortunes. Mourinho responded with an entertaining and winning start to the league phase.
Madrid entered the match looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the season, a 2-1 loss at Real Betis in La Liga on Friday. They were made to work for the victory, however, with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois producing several important saves as Inter created promising opportunities but failed to make them count.
Inter started brightly and looked dangerous in attack, but two defensive mistakes handed Madrid control.
Courtois was forced into early saves to deny Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martínez as the visitors tested the Madrid defence. But in the 14th minute, a poor pass from Curtis Jones put Yann Bisseck under pressure, allowing Brahim Díaz to poke the ball through to Mbappé, who made no mistake with a swift finish.
Madrid doubled their advantage when Inter goalkeeper Josep Martínez hesitated in possession with Valverde charging towards him. The Uruguay international dispossessed him and calmly fired the ball into the net before Martínez could recover.
Madrid had chances to extend their lead before the interval, but Josep Martínez redeemed himself with a superb save to deny Jude Bellingham.
The Inter goalkeeper remained busy after the break. He first kept out a low effort from Mbappé before somehow blocking Bellingham’s close-range attempt.
Bellingham was presented with another excellent opportunity before the hour mark when Díaz worked his way into the area and picked him out with a cross. Rather than heading the ball first time, the England international tried to control it, giving Martínez enough time to close him down and make the save.
Courtois was equally impressive at the other end, pushing away Alessandro Bastoni’s low drive as Inter searched for a way back into the contest.
Madrid continued to create openings but struggled to put the game beyond Inter. Martínez denied Mbappé again, while Díaz narrowly missed the target with another chance.
Inter finally pulled one back in the 77th minute when Carlos Augusto powered Lautaro Martínez’s cross beyond Courtois to set up a tense finish.
Madrid were also frustrated by a substitution incident late in the game when Álvaro Carreras had to wait on the touchline before being allowed onto the pitch after Vinícius Júnior appeared to take too long to leave the field.
Inter pushed for an equaliser in the closing stages, but Courtois came to Madrid’s rescue once more, beating away a deflected effort from Henrikh Mkhitaryan to preserve the victory.
The result gives Mourinho and Madrid a winning start to their Champions League campaign, while Inter are left to rue missed chances and two costly first-half errors.
