By Opta Analyst | Created at 2026-09-08 22:37:22 | Updated at 2026-09-18 23:14:10
1 week ago
José Mourinho defeated his former side in a gripping, end-to-end Champions League encounter at the Bernabéu. Look back with our Real Madrid vs Inter stats page.
Real Madrid began their 2026-27 Champions League campaign with victory as they defeated Inter 2-1 at the Bernabéu on Tuesday.
Kylian Mbappé and Federico Valverde were on target, punishing Inter for sloppy mistakes at the back, although Carlos Augusto‘s riposte set up a nervy finish in the Spanish capital.
Inter started on the front foot as Marcus Thuram forced an early save from Thibaut Courtois before Hakan Calhanoglu sent a warning shot from distance narrowly over the bar.
Lautaro Martínez also tested Courtois with a long-range shot, but it was Madrid who took the lead against the run of play in the 14th minute. Yann Bisseck was caught in possession, allowing Brahim Díaz to slip in Mbappé for the opener.
Inter searched for a quick reply, with Courtois palming away a venomous free-kick from Calhanoglu, but Cristian Chivu’s side were the architects of their own downfall again when Valverde’s tackle on Inter goalkeeper Josep Martínez ended up in the back of the net.
Curtis Jones hit the woodwork for Inter, but Madrid should have added a third before the break as Josep Martínez made a great double save to deny Mbappé and Jude Bellingham, with Díaz sending the second rebound onto the post.
Courtois was on hand to keep out Jones early in the second half, while Thuram also blazed over from close range. Bellingham then failed to beat Josep Martínez at the other end after brilliant work from Díaz to find the England international.
The Inter keeper was determined to atone for his earlier error, this time using his legs to stop Mbappé, and Inter finally got the better of Courtois in the 77th minute; Carlos Augusto turning in from Lautaro Martínez’s low centre.
Madrid slowly dropped back into their own half as Inter sought an equaliser, but Courtois refused to be beaten a second time, pushing away a deflected strike from Henrikh Mkhitaryan late on to secure all three points for Los Blancos.
Mbappé Ties Madrid Great While Courtois Reaches Century
Mbappé, who was unsurprisingly named a Ballon d’Or nominee earlier on Tuesday, once again found the net in the Champions League. The Frenchman has tied Los Blancos legend Raúl for the fifth-most goals in the competition’s history (71), with Karim Benzema’s total of 90 his next target.
However, this contest between José Mourinho’s current and former sides was decided by the goalkeepers.
Courtois, on his 100th appearance in the Champions League, made seven saves to ensure a winning start for Madrid in the competition this season.
At the other end, Josep Martínez made six stops but his mistake for Madrid’s second goal ultimately proved costly.
Madrid accumulated 2.91 expected goals (xG) from 16 shots compared to Inter’s 1.78 from 21 attempts. Los Blancos have now won their last five Champions League games against Inter.
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Real Madrid vs Inter stats from their Champions League meeting at the Bernabéu on Tuesday.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
Real Madrid vs Inter: Post-Match Opta Facts
- Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé is now the joint-fifth top scorer in European Cup/UEFA Champions League history, drawing level with Raúl through tonight’s opener (71 goals).
- Real Madrid averaged just 35.6% possession against Internazionale, with this their lowest on for a home match in the league/group phase of the UEFA Champions League on record (since 2003-04).
- Internazionale’s 21 shots was the most by an away side against Real Madrid in a group/league phase match of the UEFA Champions League since October 2004 (22 by Dynamo Kyiv).
- Real Madrid equalled their longest run of scoring in consecutive European home matches, doing so in 44 games in a row for the second time (previously between 2011 and 2018).
- Real Madrid have only lost one of the 28 occasions when they have started a European Cup/UEFA Champions League campaign with a home match (W25 D2), winning 22 of the last 23 (L1).
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