Real Madrid kicked off their 2026/27 Champions League run with three points, but it wasn't the kind of night where they had things all their own way.
Inter arrived at the Bernabéu and made a real game of it, holding most of the possession and generating chance after chance. Madrid, though, made their moments count — Kylian Mbappé and Federico Valverde both scored in the first half, and that was enough to hold off a late rally capped by a Carlos Augusto goal for the visitors.
The final score doesn't quite capture how the match actually played out. Inter had the ball more and got more shots off, but every time Madrid broke forward, they looked like the more likely team to score. And on the occasions Inter did get through, Thibaut Courtois was there to bail his team out.
Inter didn't come to the Bernabéu to sit back — they were straight into it, and Marcus Thuram nearly opened the scoring inside the first few minutes before Courtois got down to save.
Madrid answered in the 14th minute. Brahim Díaz nicked the ball back high up the pitch and slid it through to Mbappé, who made no mistake in front of goal.
Inter were still playing well, but now they were chasing the game.
It got worse for them shortly after. Inter keeper Josep Martínez fumbled under pressure, Valverde pounced, and suddenly Madrid were 2-0 up with barely 23 minutes on the clock.
To their credit, Inter didn't fold. They kept pushing forward.
The numbers tell an interesting story here. Inter finished with roughly 64% of the possession and 21 shots to Madrid's 16, and they strung together well over 600 passes compared to Madrid's 352.
But none of that matters much if you can't put the ball in the net.
Despite having fewer shots, Real Madrid actually generated more expected goals — around 2.91 to Inter's 1.78 — which says a lot about how clinical they were with the chances they got.
Inter came agonizingly close to getting one back before halftime when Curtis Jones rattled the crossbar, and Madrid weren't done creating chances of their own either: Mbappé and Jude Bellingham both drew strong saves out of Martínez, while Brahim Díaz clipped the post.
Still 2-0 at the break, but far from a settled game.
If the front three provided the goals, it was Courtois who provided the peace of mind. The Belgian was excellent all night, finishing with seven saves on what happened to be his 100th Champions League appearance — a nice milestone to mark with a big performance.
He denied Thuram, kept out Hakan Çalhanoğlu, and had to be alert again to stop Lautaro Martínez. As Inter turned up the heat in the second half and Madrid lost their grip on the game, Courtois only became more important.
That pressure finally told in the 77th minute. Lautaro Martínez whipped a ball across the box and Carlos Augusto turned it home to make it 2-1.
The mood inside the stadium shifted instantly. Inter believed they could find an equalizer, and Madrid found themselves pinned back deeper than they'd have liked.
Inter kept coming until the final whistle, but Courtois wouldn't budge — his save on a deflected Henrikh Mkhitaryan effort late on was arguably the biggest moment of the second half.
Madrid held on.
A few players really stood out on the stat sheet.
Mbappé was Madrid's most threatening attacker, scoring once and putting all four of his shots on target. Valverde, though, might have been the best player on the pitch overall — UEFA gave him Player of the Match, and it wasn't just for the goal. He added three tackles and two key passes, and his relentless pressing was directly responsible for Madrid's second.
Brahim Díaz chipped in with an assist and four key passes of his own.
For Inter, Lautaro Martínez was involved in everything, notching four shots and an assist, while Thuram caused problems all night with four attempts and three fouls won. Carlos Augusto had a say at both ends, scoring the goal and adding three tackles and three key passes.
| Player | Team | Stats |
|---|---|---|
| Kylian Mbappé | Real Madrid | 1 goal, 4 shots, 4 on target |
| Federico Valverde | Real Madrid | 1 goal, 3 tackles, 2 key passes |
| Brahim Díaz | Real Madrid | 1 assist, 4 key passes |
| Jude Bellingham | Real Madrid | 3 tackles, 4 fouls won |
| Thibaut Courtois | Real Madrid | 7 saves |
| Lautaro Martínez | Inter | 4 shots, 1 assist |
| Marcus Thuram | Inter | 4 shots, 3 fouls won |
| Hakan Çalhanoğlu | Inter | 3 key passes |
| Carlos Augusto | Inter | 1 goal, 3 tackles, 3 key passes |
| Alessandro Bastoni | Inter | 2 tackles, 2 key passes |
Mbappé's goal wasn't just a nice moment for the scoreline — it moved him to 71 Champions League goals, pulling him level with Real Madrid great Raúl on the competition's all-time list. Once again, he showed up when Madrid needed a moment of quality, and his four shots on target reflected just how sharp he looked all night.
Mbappé got the spotlight, but Valverde might have been the one who defined the performance. His goal came from sheer effort and pressing, and his work off the ball mattered just as much as anything he did with it.With Inter dominating possession, Madrid needed someone willing to run, press, and cover ground — and Valverde did exactly that all night. His Player of the Match award felt well earned.
Madrid will take the win, even though there were long stretches where they were hanging on. Getting off to a winning start in the Champions League gives them a solid platform heading into the rest of the league phase, and it's a reminder of something that's become a bit of a trademark at the Bernabéu on European nights: this team doesn't need to dominate a match to win it.
There's plenty for Inter to build on too. They created more chances, controlled more of the ball, and spent long periods putting Madrid's defense under real pressure — they just couldn't turn that pressure into more goals.
For Madrid, it came down to Mbappé's finishing, Valverde's energy, and Courtois' saves. Not their cleanest performance of the season, but in the Champions League, the result is what counts.