Courtois denies Mkhitaryan late to seal Madrid's chaotic 2-1 win over Inter

Real Madrid survived a second-half Inter Milan onslaught to win 2-1 in their Champions League opener at the Santiago Bernabéu, with Thibaut Courtois denying Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the 89th minute to preserve the result. Kylian Mbappé and Fede Valverde had given the hosts a two-goal first-half lead, but Carlos Augusto’s 77th-minute strike set up a tense finish that Inter ultimately could not convert.

Mbappé opened the scoring in the 14th minute after Inter gave the ball away in a dangerous area. A Curtis Jones pass put Yann Bisseck under pressure, and Brahim Díaz played Mbappé through to finish with Madrid’s first shot of the night. Valverde doubled the lead nine minutes later when Josep Martínez attempted a drag-back on his own line as the midfielder closed in — Valverde won the ball and rolled it into the net.

The scoreline flattered Madrid at the break. Inter had led 12-3 on shots at half-time, held 70% possession and completed 125 final-third passes to Madrid’s 13. The match ultimately produced 37 shots and 13 saves across both goalkeepers, according to the Guardian.

Augusto’s goal, converting Lautaro Martínez’s pull-back after a sharp Inter move, gave the visitors a foothold and they continued to create openings in the closing stages. Courtois’s save from Mkhitaryan with a minute of normal time remaining proved the difference.

José Mourinho, returning to a club he previously managed, described the match as “mad” and said it was not the kind of madness he liked. He acknowledged that the scoreline could have been very different given the chances created at both ends, and noted that Trent Alexander-Arnold had been deployed in a midfield role that was not a natural one for him.

Jude Bellingham said after the game that he had missed two clear chances to extend Madrid’s lead. There were audible whistles at the Bernabéu by full time, with Vinícius Júnior drawing particular frustration from sections of the home crowd.

The victory gave Madrid a winning start to their Champions League campaign despite the disorder of the performance, and came just days after a league defeat at Real Betis had increased scrutiny on the team’s form.