Real Madrid 2-1 Inter Milan: Mbappé and Valverde Give Mourinho a Winning Start
Real Madrid opened their 2026/27 Champions League campaign with a 2-1 win over Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday, September 8 — goals from Kylian Mbappé and Federico Valverde putting Los Blancos in control before Inter pulled one back late on.
Mbappé Strikes Early, Valverde Doubles the Lead
Mbappé opened the scoring in the 14th minute, pouncing on a mistake from Inter defender Yann Bisseck to slot home Real Madrid's first goal of the new league phase.
Federico Valverde made it 2-0 soon after, smashing home from around 10 meters inside the box — a statement start for a Real Madrid side playing its first Champions League match under José Mourinho since his return to the club.
Inter Fight Back, But It's Not Enough
Inter, trying to bounce back after being thrashed 5-0 by PSG in the 2025 final, found a way back into the game with 13 minutes left: Lautaro Martínez set up Carlos Augusto, who fired past Thibaut Courtois to make it 2-1.
Real Madrid held on from there, opening their league-phase campaign with a win and a clean start toward the top-8 places that qualify directly for the round of 16.