Champions League: Inter shoots itself in the foot (twice)—Real Madrid and Mourinho are grateful

Inter’s Champions League campaign begins with a loss. The first half at the Bernabéu was a nightmare: after a fairly positive first quarter-hour, things took a turn for the worse for the Nerazzurri, who shot themselves in the foot twice. In the 23rd minute, a poor turnover by Curtis Jones was capitalized on by Brahim Diaz, who set up Mbappé, who was lethal in opening the scoring practically at the first opportunity.

Nine minutes later, the second goal came, and the mistake by a Nerazzurri player was even more glaring. Goalkeeper Josep Martinez attempted to dribble past Valverde in the box, but Valverde pressured him and scored the 2-0 goal that brought the visitors to their knees. The former Genoa goalkeeper redeemed himself at least partially before halftime with a double save that prevented the Blancos from scoring a third goal, but by then fans were already going wild on social media—and they didn’t stop there.

Some compared him to Di Gregorio, highlighting the “Inter school,” while others commented on the incident as a tribute to Radu, recalling the historic mistake that cost the Nerazzurri a Scudetto. Many pointed out that Inter now finds itself with Martinez and Provedel as its last line of defense, already hoping for a return to the transfer market in January.

In the second half, Carlos Augusto, on an assist from Lautaro Martinez, brought Inter back within striking distance, but the score remained unchanged, with Real squandering several chances to seal the victory well before the final whistle.