Sports
Real Madrid Edge Past Mourinho’s Former Club Inter Milan in Chaotic Champions League Clash
By Sid Lowe
José Mourinho marked his Champions League return to Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu stadium by watching his current club, Fenerbahçe... wait, correction: his former club Inter Milan, fall 2-1 to Real Madrid in a match defined by 37 shots and a combined 13 remarkable saves from both goalkeepers.
Real Madrid took the lead through goals from Kylian Mbappé and Fede Valverde in the first half, though both strikes stemmed largely from Inter’s own defensive errors. Despite trailing for most of the match in shots and possession, Madrid held on thanks to a string of extraordinary saves by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, including a crucial stop in the 89th minute to deny Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
"If he wasn’t voted man of the match tonight, he never will be," Mourinho said of Courtois after the game.
Inter pulled a goal back in the 77th minute through Carlos Augusto, setting up a tense final quarter-hour, but were unable to find an equalizer. Mourinho, reflecting on the unpredictable nature of the contest, said the result could easily have gone either way: "5-1 to us, 6-6, I don’t want to say they could have won." He described the match as "mad, and not a madness I like."
Madrid struggled for control in midfield for long stretches, with Mourinho crediting Trent Alexander-Arnold for adapting to an unfamiliar central role in his side’s setup. Inter dominated large portions of the match statistically, recording nearly double the number of attacks and passes compared to Madrid. By halftime, Inter led 12-3 in shots and held 70% possession, yet trailed 2-0 on the scoreboard.
The opening goal arrived after just four minutes of meaningful action from Madrid, following an early save by Courtois against Marcus Thuram. A mishandled pass by Inter’s Yann Bisseck led to a giveaway that found Brahím Diaz, who set up Mbappé for the game’s first goal, also Madrid’s first shot of the match.
Madrid doubled their advantage in the 23rd minute when Josep Martínez, Inter’s goalkeeper, attempted a risky backward pass under pressure from a charging Valverde. The gamble failed, and Valverde nudged the ball home for Madrid’s second goal, from just their second shot on target.
Inter responded with sustained pressure, hitting the crossbar through Curtis Jones and forcing more saves from Courtois, while Josep Martínez denied Jude Bellingham with a strong stop of his own. Bellingham later said he had missed "two sitters" during the match.
The second half continued in similarly frantic fashion, with both goalkeepers making a series of crucial saves. Courtois denied efforts from Jones and Alessandro Bastoni, while Josep Martínez stopped further attempts from Mbappé and Bellingham. At one stage, action swung rapidly between both ends of the pitch within a span of roughly 20 seconds.
Inter finally broke through in the 77th minute when Lautaro Martínez set up Carlos Augusto to score, cutting the deficit to 2-1 and reviving hopes of an equalizer. However, despite intense late pressure, Real Madrid held on for the win, sealed by Courtois’ decisive stop in stoppage time.
The result gives Mourinho’s Inter a defeat on his emotional return to Madrid, while Real Madrid begin their Champions League campaign with a narrow but significant victory, despite a performance that, for long periods, left fans at the Bernabéu whistling in frustration.