Champions League: Kylian Mbappé propels Real Madrid against Inter, Lille disappoints with Ethan Mbappé.

Published on: 09/08/2026 - 23:00Updated on: 09/08/2026 - 23:31

3 min Reading time

There was undoubtedly a mix of impatience and excitement among Real Madrid fans – and beyond – at the prospect of seeing their team compete on the biggest stage in club football. And for good reason: after an impressive transfer window with around €225 million invested to strengthen the squad, and the return of José Mourinho to the bench, the supporters were eager. Especially since Inter Milan, their first opponent of the European season, looked formidable.

On the pitch at the Bernabéu, three new signings were present: defenders Ibrahima Konaté, Denzel Dumfries, and Marc Cucurella, among others. As for the attack, they didn’t need reinforcements to put the Italians in their place. Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring with an assist from Brahim Diaz, following a mistake by Inter defender Bisseck (14th minute). At that moment, it was the Italians who controlled the game, creating multiple chances but facing a resolute Thibaut Courtois.

An Efficient Real

Real then struck again, taking advantage of another blunder from Inter: goalkeeper Juan Martínez attempted a dribble against Federico Valverde, who intercepted the ball and gifted a second goal to Real (23rd minute). Efficient, almost ruthless.

This Mourinho version of Real disregards possession: they accept pressure but their counterattacks are lethal. On several occasions, Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, and Diaz came close to scoring a third goal. Madrid could have regretted it, as Inter managed to reduce the deficit and reignite the suspense with a goal from Carlos Augusto (77th minute). 

While the French captain had a great evening, a few hundred kilometers away in Madrid, his brother Ethan could not say the same. The Lille forward was sent off during the match between the northern club and Real Betis. The 19-year-old lost his cool, elbowing Spanish player Natan in the face (56th minute), leaving his teammates with ten men. At that moment, Lille had just conceded the third goal from Betis, who had already opened the scoring through Japanese player Daizen Maeda (12th minute) and led 2-1 after a header from Alessandro (36th minute). 

In other matches, in their first Champions League game since Pep Guardiola's departure, Manchester City did not particularly shine. However, the Citizens showed realism, thanks to a brace from Erling Haaland, to leave with three points from FC Porto (2-0). A lackluster victory, but already valuable in building a new era.

This Wednesday, defending champions PSG will begin their new campaign against Slovan Bratislava at Parc des Princes (18:00 UTC). This represents an opportunity to see if the reigning champions still have the same thirst for victory that propelled them to the top last season.

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Fixtures and results from the first matchday

Tuesday, September 8

AEK Athens-Linz ASK 1-0

Club Brugge-Aston Villa 2-3

Lille-Real Betis 2-3

Real Madrid-Inter Milan 2-1

Porto-Manchester City 0-2

Borussia Dortmund-Villarreal 3-2

Wednesday, September 9

16:45: Barcelona-Feyenoord Rotterdam

16:45: Stuttgart-Viking Stavanger

19:00: PSG-Slovan Bratislava

19:00: Liverpool-Atlético Madrid

19:00: Napoli-Arsenal

19:00: Sporting Portugal-Galatasaray

Thursday, September 10

16:45: Fenerbahçe-AS Roma

16:45: PSV Eindhoven-Shakhtar Donetsk

19:00: Slavia Prague-Lens

19:00: Bayern Munich-Bodo/Glimt

19:00: Manchester United-Sabah

19:00: Como-RB Leipzig