Football can be absurd, confusing and wonderfully entertaining all at once. On an evening that produced 37 attempts and 13 often remarkable saves, José Mourinho’s current club defeated his former side Inter as he returned to the Champions League with Real Madrid. Explaining exactly how they managed it is difficult, although Thibaut Courtois provided much of the answer with a stunning 89th-minute save to deny Henrikh Mkhitaryan. That intervention protected the narrow advantage established by first-half goals from Kylian Mbappé and Fede Valverde.
Mbappé and Valverde took their opportunities, while Inter contributed heavily to their own downfall. The Italian team repeatedly made costly mistakes, and Courtois appeared capable of stopping almost anything. “If he wasn’t voted man of the match tonight, he never will be,” Mourinho said. Carlos Augusto finally beat the goalkeeper after 77 minutes, creating a frantic finish and giving Inter hope of a deserved equaliser. It never arrived, and a match that could have produced almost any score finished 2-1. Mourinho described the contest as “mad, and not a madness I like.”
Madrid were far from convincing and occasionally performed terribly. Their midfield often seemed empty, with Mourinho thanking Trent Alexander-Arnold for covering a “specific” central role that did not naturally suit him. Madrid pressed aggressively in advanced areas but were passive elsewhere, allowing Inter to play through and around them while recording roughly twice as many attacks and passes. The Santiago Bernabéu crowd expressed its displeasure at the end, with Vinícius Júnior receiving particular criticism. Even so, Madrid could also have scored more, with Jude Bellingham admitting that he had missed “two sitters,” and they began their campaign with a victory.
The home crowd’s frustration steadily increased. When Madrid opened the scoring, the reaction could almost have been laughter as well as celebration because their lead made little sense in the context of either the goal or the match. Madrid needed four minutes to register a meaningful touch, by which point Courtois had already produced an excellent save against Marcus Thuram. Yet this was Madrid in the Champions League, and somehow they were ahead. Ninety minutes later they remained in front, despite the balance of play suggesting otherwise.
Inter had been moving the ball comfortably until routine actions suddenly became difficult. Hakan Calhanoglu and Lautaro Martínez had already produced the third and fourth unanswered attempts before the breakthrough arrived. Inter had controlled 65% of possession but surrendered the ball in almost comical fashion. Curtis Jones struggled with the initial pass before finding Yann Bisseck, who lost both his orientation and his footing. His stumble handed possession to Brahím Díaz, who released Mbappé to finish.
Madrid scored with their first attempt, and the next goal was even more extraordinary. Josep Martínez received the ball near his goal line and, seeing Valverde charging towards him, attempted a drag-back that went badly wrong. The Uruguayan needed only a small touch to convert the mistake. After 23 minutes, Madrid had taken two shots and led 2-0. Mourinho insisted it was “not chance,” and the advantage might have increased when another turnover sent Vinícius racing forward, although Bisseck recovered with an outstanding challenge. What initially appeared fortunate was beginning to resemble a deliberate strategy: provoke errors and exploit them. Madrid created further mistakes but failed to capitalise.
Inter regained their composure and again controlled possession, displaying confidence in attack that contrasted sharply with their defensive uncertainty. Jones, Lautaro Martínez and Augusto combined almost effortlessly to enter the penalty area, where Jones struck the crossbar. Shortly before half-time, another mistake by Benjamin Pavard allowed Madrid to threaten again. Josep Martínez made an excellent save from Bellingham before Díaz hit the post. Inter entered the interval with a 12-3 advantage in attempts, 70% possession and 125 completed passes in the final third compared with Madrid’s 13, yet Madrid still held the lead.
The statistics became more balanced as the contest opened up after the interval. Josep Martínez rushed from his goal to deny Mbappé before Inter resumed their pressure. Courtois stopped Jones, Nicolò Barella fired wide and Thuram lifted an effort over the bar. The crowd responded with astonishment when Courtois produced an exceptional double save, even though the offside flag had already been raised. There was a similar sense of disbelief at the opposite end when Josep Martínez recovered across his line to stop Bellingham after Díaz had delicately lifted the ball over the goalkeeper and into the midfielder’s path.
The match developed into a personal contest between the two goalkeepers. Madrid repeatedly had opportunities to settle the result, while Inter created enough chances to transform it. Courtois denied Alessandro Bastoni, and Josep Martínez blocked Mbappé with his legs, leaving Courtois ahead 6-5 in their unofficial save count. The crowd grew impatient, but opportunities continued at both ends. A brief sequence in which Lautaro Martínez was blocked before Díaz sent a shot wide moments later captured the game’s frantic rhythm. Inter eventually broke through after another sharp combination, with Lautaro Martínez cutting the ball back for Augusto to score. Fifteen minutes remained, but despite the late pressure there were no further goals, providing another conclusion that seemed difficult to explain.
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