Madrid's Real Madrid opened their 2026/27 Champions League campaign with a victory over Milan's Inter. At the Santiago Bernabéu, the two sides produced an open, emotional match that ended 2-1 (2-0, 0-1) in the hosts' favour. For the "Blancos", Kylian Mbappé (14th minute) and Federico Valverde (23rd) did the scoring, while Carlos Augusto pulled one back for Inter in the 77th minute. Read more about how the game unfolded on Sport RBC.UA.
Opening phase: Inter's pressure without reward
Despite being the away side, Inter started brightly and immediately seized the initiative, creating several dangerous chances in front of Real Madrid's goal. Around the 10-minute mark, the Milanese produced a spell in which the Madrid side simply could not cross the halfway line. Yet all that pressure failed to deliver the one thing that mattered — a goal. In the end, the "Blancos" proved that having plenty of chances is not essential: it is enough to make your opponent err at the right moment and show composure.
The "Blancos'" composure and Mbappé's record
That is exactly what happened in the 14th minute: Inter defender Bisseca's mistake was ruthlessly punished by Mbappé. The goal was the Frenchman's 71st in the Champions League, allowing him to overtake Real Madrid legend Raúl in the competition's all-time scorers list. Nine minutes later, the script repeated itself: the visitors' goalkeeper, Josep Martínez, playing his Champions League debut, played the ball into Valverde's foot under pressure and gifted the "Blancos" a second goal. That said, by the end of the first half Martínez had already shown his worth, making a double save to deny Mbappé and Bellingham.
Second half: a balanced game and goalkeeping magic
If Real Madrid had played the supporting role for much of the first half, the game levelled out after the break. The only ones to benefit were the spectators: both the "Blancos" and the "Nerazzurri" regularly created goalmouth chances. Meanwhile, Thibaut Courtois and Josep Martínez were conjuring real magic between the posts — the Belgian and the Spaniard combined for 13 saves, preventing the match from turning into a genuine goal-fest.
Inter's goal and the final result
In the end, Inter worked hard for their goal: in the 77th minute, Carlos Augusto finished off a Lautaro Martínez cross, arriving at the near post. But the Milan club could not find an equaliser — the final whistle confirmed a 2-1 win for the "Blancos". It is worth noting that earlier in the opening round of the Champions League, Aston Villa and AEK also started their campaigns with victories.
