Real Madrid Secures Lead Against Inter Milan Thanks to Key Moments

At halftime in the Bernabeu, Real Madrid holds a 2-0 advantage over Inter Milan. While the Italian side dominated possession, Real Madrid's pragmatism proved decisive. Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring after Inter lost the ball in front of their box, and later, Valverde capitalized on a goalkeeping error by Martinez to double the lead.

In a thrilling moment, Mbappé nearly extended Real's lead further. After winning the ball at midfield, he surged down the field, dribbled past Pavard, and took a shot that was parried by Martinez. Bellingham followed up, but his effort was also denied by the Inter keeper.

Inter Milan showed dominance but struggled to convert their possession into goals. Marcus Thuram's shot was blocked, highlighting their offensive challenges.

Defensively, Vinicius Jr. made crucial interventions to support Cucurella, despite some offensive struggles.

Hakan Çalhanoğlu received a yellow card for accumulating fouls, including one on Bellingham.

Earlier, Nicolo Barella came close to scoring for Inter, hitting the crossbar with a powerful shot after a quick one-two in the box. Thibaut Courtois has remained vigilant throughout the match, making a key save from a dangerous free-kick taken by Çalhanoğlu.

A VAR check was conducted for a challenge by Vinicius Jr. on Çalhanoğlu in the Real Madrid box, but no penalty was awarded.

Benjamin Pavard made a spectacular defensive play, dispossessing Vinicius Jr. on a counter-attack after Inter lost possession. Vinicius had set up Diaz, who then found Mbappé, but Pavard's timely tackle thwarted the chance.

Real Madrid doubled their lead when Valverde pounced on a misplaced pass from Pavard to goalkeeper Martinez, who attempted a dribble and lost the ball, allowing Valverde to score into an empty net.

Inter Milan had regained possession and were comfortably moving the ball around, though Real Madrid remained a threat on the counter.

Vinicius Jr. appealed for a penalty after a tackle from Pavard, but the French defender executed a perfect challenge to clear the ball.

Courtois was forced into his third save of the match from a Calhanoglu free-kick just outside the box.

Real Madrid took the lead unexpectedly through Kylian Mbappé. After a misplaced pass from Jones to Bisseck, Diaz set up Mbappé, who scored with a sliding finish. This goal marked Mbappé's 71st in the Champions League, placing him in the top five and equaling Raúl's record.

Lautaro Martínez tested Courtois with a shot that the goalkeeper managed to save, as Inter built a dangerous three-on-three attack.

An own goal was narrowly avoided for Inter when a cross from Diouf was deflected by Huijsen, going just wide of the post.

Kylian Mbappé was struggling to receive quality passes despite making good forward runs.

The pressure had shifted, with a corner for Alexander-Arnold being cleared by Bastoni, and a subsequent cross from Diaz also being dealt with.

Real Madrid began to regain their footing, earning a free-kick that Alexander-Arnold delivered into the box, but Bastoni cleared it for a corner.

Another dangerous corner from Inter threatened the Real Madrid defense, with the ball just going past everyone.

Thuram had a significant opportunity after a pass from Barella and a cross from Diouf, but his powerful half-volley was saved by Courtois for a corner.

Inter Milan had possession in the Real Madrid box, but Lautaro's attempted layoff was unsuccessful.

Hundreds of Real Madrid supporters displayed the flag of Ceuta, an Spanish enclave on the Moroccan coast, in the stands.

The match between Real Madrid and Inter Milan kicked off for the first matchday of the 2025-2026 Champions League, featuring Kylian Mbappé for Real Madrid and Marcus Thuram for Inter Milan.

Inter Milan's starting lineup was announced: J. Martinez - Pavard, Bisseck, Bastoni - Diouf, Barella, Calhanoglu, Jones, Carlos Augusto - L. Martinez, Thuram.

Real Madrid's European lineup was confirmed, with Alexander-Arnold starting in midfield due to suspensions for Camavinga, Bernardo Silva, and Guler. Aurélien Tchouaméni was on the bench.

The Real Madrid starting XI: Courtois - Dumfries, Konaté, Huijsen, Cucurella - Alexander-Arnold, Valverde, Bellingham - Brahim Diaz, Mbappé, Vinicius.

Four Real Madrid players were nominated for the Ballon d'Or 2026: Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Jr., Jude Bellingham, and Marc Cucurella.

Welcome to RMC Sport for live coverage of the Champions League match between Real Madrid and Inter Milan. Real Madrid, eliminated in the quarterfinals last season, aims to improve their performance in the competition they have won 15 times. Jose Mourinho is back as coach.

Real Madrid, coming off a recent league defeat, faced Inter Milan, who had a perfect start to their Serie A season, including a win against Napoli.