Real Madrid beat Inter 2:1 in the first League Stage match of the Champions League on Monday evening. The hosts took an early lead through Kylian Mbappé in the fourteenth minute before Federico Valverde doubled their advantage shortly after. Inter's Carlos Augusto pulled one back late on, but the visitors could not find an equaliser.
By then Real Madrid had already established control of the tempo. Mbappé's opener came from a swift transition, and Valverde's strike in the twenty-third minute gave the home side confidence. Inter tried to respond with width but struggled to cut through the defence. To be fair, the visitors kept possession and moved the ball, but the final pass often lacked precision.
Substitutions began around the hour mark as Inter brought on Nicolò Barella, Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Marcus Thuram. Real Madrid responded with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Brahim Díaz in the seventy-ninth minute. Carlos Augusto came on himself before being replaced in the eighty-third. The game opened up as both sides sought a winner.
Real Madrid created more clear-cut opportunities despite having less of the ball. They registered 2.91 expected goals compared with Inter's 1.78, and eight shots on target against seven. The visitors dominated possession at 64 per cent and completed 584 passes, but their shot accuracy of 33 per cent told the story. Big chances created also reflected the difference — eight for Madrid, four for Inter.
The result gives Real Madrid three points from their first match. Inter remain on zero points after one game. Both sides have played once, so the table tells us little beyond that. What matters now is the momentum each team carries forward.
