Sports
Real Madrid Punish Goalkeeping Error Reminiscent of Past Champions League Blunders
Real Madrid took a 2-0 lead over Inter Milan in the 23rd minute of their Champions League opener on Tuesday, courtesy of a costly mistake by Inter goalkeeper Josep Martinez. Kylian Mbappe had opened the scoring in the 14th minute, against the run of play, as Inter had created the better chances early on, with Thibaut Courtois producing several key saves to keep Real Madrid in the game. The turning point came when Martinez attempted to dribble past Federico Valverde. The Uruguayan midfielder closed him down, dispossessed him, and watched the ball roll into an empty net, doubling Real Madrid's advantage. The error drew comparisons to past goalkeeping mistakes against Real Madrid. In the 2018 Champions League final, Liverpool's Loris Karius attempted to quickly release the ball under pressure from Karim Benzema, who stuck out a foot and deflected it into his own net. Similarly, in the 2022 Champions League round of 16 second leg, Paris Saint-Germain's Gianluigi Donnarumma, now with Manchester City, stumbled under pressure from Benzema while trying to play the ball. The loose ball fell to Vinicius Junior, who squared it for Benzema to score, helping Real Madrid overturn Paris's early lead in that match.