Courtois Stuns as Madrid Win Mourinho's Champions League Return

Real Madrid beat Inter 2-0 in José Mourinho's Champions League return, sealed by Courtois's last-gasp save.

Real Madrid beat Inter Milan 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday in Matchday 1 of the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League league phase, giving José Mourinho victory over his former team in his first Champions League night of his second spell in charge. According to The Guardian, Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring after a comedic Inter giveaway — Curtis Jones, pressured by Trent Alexander-Arnold, played a ball back that Yann Bisseck stumbled on, releasing Brahim Díaz, who sent Mbappé away to finish past Josep Martínez. Twenty-three minutes in, Fede Valverde pounced when goalkeeper Martínez tried a drag-back on his own line, flicking the ball in from a metre out. The Guardian reported 37 shots in total, with the two goalkeepers sharing thirteen saves, several of them described as absurd.

The final minutes delivered the night's most delightful moment: The Guardian reports that Thibaut Courtois produced an astonishing save in the 89th minute to preserve Madrid's lead and send the home crowd home happy. The piece jokes that Madrid had shot themselves in the foot — only if they had tried, Courtois probably would have saved that too. The writer acknowledges the performance was not always good, at times terrible, yet Madrid got through somehow, clinging on after Marcus Thuram had already forced a superb early Courtois save just four minutes into the match. For a positive-news framing, it is a story of resilience: a side that did not have its best night still found a way, with its veteran goalkeeper standing tall at the decisive moment.

The win carried extra warmth because of the man in the dugout. Per The Guardian, Mourinho faced his former team Inter in his first Champions League night of his second spell at Madrid, and found a way to beat them — just don't ask exactly how. The stakes were framed beforehand by CBS Sports, which noted Madrid are the record 15-time Champions League champions but fell in last year's quarterfinals, while Inter, three-time winners, were eliminated in the 2026 knockout round play-offs. Inter did win Serie A last season, while Madrid finished second in La Liga.

The entertainment value had been widely forecast. SportsLine and CBS Sports both reported that expert Martin Green was leaning Over 3.5 goals, with Real Madrid -155 favorites, Inter at +380, a draw at +340, and a 3.5 total. FanDuel Research also picked Real Madrid-Inter Over 3.5 Goals at +122, expecting chances at both ends, citing Madrid's missing personnel — suspensions for Arda Güler, Bernardo Silva and Eduardo Camavinga and injuries to Éder Militão, Rodrygo and Endrick — plus Inter's dangerous attack led by Lautaro Martínez.

Opening with three points matters for a club under new-old management. Yahoo Sports' preview noted Madrid arrived with a stunning hangover — a shock 1-0 loss at Real Betis capped by Mbappé missing a stoppage-time penalty — and predicted an open 2-2 draw given Inter's perfect Serie A start. Instead, Madrid bounced back immediately, resetting the narrative around Mourinho's second spell with a win over one of Europe's in-form sides. Transfermarkt data in the pack showed Real had scored 10 goals in their first four league games, including 4-0 wins over Málaga and a 4-1 over Real Sociedad, underscoring the attacking form that carried into Tuesday's opening night. For fans, a winning start turns last weekend's disappointment into momentum.

Elsewhere on opening night, The Guardian's around-the-ground notes recorded wins for Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, Real Betis and AEK Athens, meaning several of Europe's big names started strong alongside Madrid. The standings snapshot in Transfermarkt's coverage places Real Madrid fifth in the early league-phase table on three points, level with City, Villa, Dortmund and Betis.