Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid successfully launched their Champions League campaign on Tuesday, securing a hard-fought 2-1 victory over his former club, Inter Milan. The match, held at the Santiago Bernabeu, saw the 15-time European champions capitalize on defensive lapses from the visitors to establish a two-goal lead through Kylian Mbappe and Fede Valverde.
Mourinho, who previously guided Inter to Champions League glory at this same venue in 2010 shortly before moving to Madrid, was tasked by club president Florentino Perez to revitalize the squad following two seasons of trophy droughts and early European exits. This win serves as a significant rebound for the side after their recent La Liga defeat to Real Betis.
The breakthrough arrived in the 14th minute when a misplaced pass from Curtis Jones left Yann Bisseck vulnerable. Brahim Diaz capitalized on the error, feeding the ball to Mbappe, who finished clinically. Madrid doubled their advantage when Inter goalkeeper Josep Martinez hesitated while in possession. Fede Valverde pressured the keeper, successfully stripping the ball away to find the back of the net.
Despite the deficit, Inter remained dangerous, with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois forced into a series of vital saves. The Belgian shot-stopper denied efforts from Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez early on, and later pushed away a low drive from Alessandro Bastoni to keep the visitors at bay. At the other end, Martinez made several key interventions, including a point-blank block on Jude Bellingham and a save against an Mbappe strike, to keep his team within reach.
Bellingham had another opportunity to extend the lead before the hour mark, but his hesitation allowed the Inter goalkeeper to recover and make a save. Madrid continued to press, with Diaz narrowly missing the target as they sought to put the game beyond doubt.
Inter Milan eventually found a way back into the contest in the 77th minute when Carlos Augusto blasted a shot past Courtois following a cross from Lautaro Martinez. The goal set up a tense finish, during which Madrid supporters expressed frustration as Vinicius Junior’s slow exit delayed the introduction of substitute Alvaro Carreras.
In the closing stages, Courtois remained instrumental, beating away a deflected effort from Henrikh Mkhitaryan to preserve the lead. The victory provides a positive start for Mourinho’s team in the league phase of the competition, offering both a result and an entertaining performance for the home crowd. The report also notes that the last time either they or he managed to lift the trophy, a few days before joining Los Blancos for his first stint at the helm, madrid coach Mourinho led the Italian side to Champions League glory in 2010 at the same stadium. The report also notes that the Italians started energetically in attack but were destabilised by two grievous errors at the back. The report also notes that it was too late and as he tried to turn Valverde pried the ball away from him and into the net, when the Spanish stopper realised. The report also notes that the England international might have headed home straight away but chose to control the ball and gave goalkeeper Martinez time to fly across his line and save the eventual shot.
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