Real Madrid have overcome Inter Milan 2-1 in their opening group game of the Champions League as France captain Kylian Mbappe moved joint-fifth in the list of all-time Champions League and European Cup goalscorers with a goal scored.
27 years old Mbappe opened the scoring for Jose Mourinho’s team, with a clinical 14th-minute finish from just inside the box – his 71st goal in 99 appearances in the competition.
Only four players, Karim Benzema (90), Robert Lewandowski (109), Lionel Messi (129) and Cristiano Ronaldo (140) have scored more goals than Mbappe.
Raul, who won three Championships League titles with Real Madrid has cored 71 times in 142 appearances.
It was Real Madrid’s first attempt on target and their next one brought a second goal in the 23rd minute after a horrible mistake by the Spanish goalkeeper of Inter Josep Martinez.
Martinez lost possession after a back pass by Benjamin Pavard, with captain Federico Valverde dispossessing the keeper before tapping over the line.
Martinez made amends at the end of the first half with a double save to keep out Mbappe and Jude Bellingham before the post came to Inter’s rescue.
Inter had started well with Thibaut Courtois, making his 100th Champions League appearance, keeping out attempts by Hakan Calhanoglu and Lautaro Martinez.
Inter also hit the top of the bar through Curtis Jones, while they sent on John Stones – a Champions League winner with Manchester City in 2023.
In a match full of chances, Bellingham missed a golden chance to make it 3-0 for Los Blancos before Carlos Augusto scored in the 77th-minute to set up a frenetic finish between Mourinho’s current and former teams.
Despite the victory, the fans of Real Madrid were unhappy with their club’s performance and did make their feelings known during the match.
