Video: On a legendary night for Courtois, Real Madrid begin their European campaign with a hard-fought win over Inter Milan | Goal.com

Published on 08 Sep 2026 | Reading time: 1 minute

Real Madrid opened their Champions League campaign in style, beating visitors Inter Milan 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.

Kylian Mbappe put Los Blancos in front on 14 minutes. Real's high press paid off as their players won the ball back, Brahim Diaz slid it through, and the French striker raced into the box to lash home.

Nine minutes later, Federico Valverde doubled the lead after a glaring error from goalkeeper Josep Martinez. The Spaniard tried to dribble past him inside the area, and Valverde nicked the ball away with a single touch into the empty net.

Inter's only reply arrived on 77 minutes through Carlos Augusto, who turned a cross straight into the net.

The win handed Real their first three points of the European campaign, lifting them to fifth on goal difference behind leaders Manchester City. Inter stay pointless.

Thibaut Courtois stole the show between the posts, keeping out several clear chances for Inter, especially in the first half. He was one of the biggest reasons Real took all three points.

Martinez, by contrast, denied Real a string of clear openings of his own in the second half. But his one costly mistake handed the hosts a goal Inter could not afford.

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