Real Madrid 2-1 Inter: Mbappe scores 71st UCL goal, ties Raul

By Dermot Corrigan and Conor O'Neill

The Athletic has live coverage of the Champions League league phase matches.

Real Madrid continue to confound in the Champions League.

Jose Mourinho's side found themselves 2-0 up after only 23 minutes in their opening league-phase game at home against Inter on Tuesday, with Kylian Mbappe and Federico Valverde capitalising on errors from the Italians.

Mbappe's 14th-minute goal was his 71st in the competition, making him its joint-fifth-highest scorer, alongside Madrid legend Raul. Valverde's came after Inter goalkeeper Josep Martinez inexplicably tried to play out from the back when under pressure.

Yet Inter had 21 shots and drew seven saves from Thibaut Courtois — and Madrid were booed by their own fans despite that healthy two-goal advantage, with supporters not happy with how their side were playing. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Vinicius Junior were among the players singled out for vocal criticism, with audible whistles when the Brazilian was substituted in the 88th minute.

Carlos Augusto's 77th-minute goal from a Lautaro Martinez cutback led to a nervous finish. Madrid held on, but are Mourinho's men really ready for a Champions League charge on this evidence?

Dermot Corrigan and Conor O'Neill analyse the action.

Are Madrid Working Harder Under Mourinho?

Madrid's squad is not geared for an intense, high-pressing style, but they were ruthless tonight when they committed men in the final third, an efficiency that resulted in both of their goals.

For the opener, it was pressure from Mbappe that forced centre-back Yann Bisseck into a mistake, after Curtis Jones underhit a pass towards his team-mate. Brahim Diaz supported Mbappe from behind and was alert to Bisseck's miscontrol, sliding a ball through for the double World Cup Golden Boot winner to guide home.

Mbappe is often the scapegoat at Madrid, with his defensive contribution numbers towards the bottom of the rankings across Europe's big five domestic leagues last season. But the France captain gently pushed back against that narrative in the press conference before this match, reminding reporters where his responsibilities lie when questioned about his and Vinicius Jr's defensive efforts, in comparison with Barcelona's Raphinha and Ousmane Dembele of Paris Saint-Germain.

"Just me and Vinicius? I don't know," he said. "Of course, we have to improve. That's natural, like with every player.

"I could be silly and say that everyone else has to score as many goals as me, but comparisons don't make sense. I think we have to do things better with the ball, but that is the life of a top-level team."

Mbappe is right that pressing is a team effort, and one player who...