Real Madrid beat Inter 2-1 in their first Champions League game of the season, after goals from Kylian Mbappe and Fede Valverde sealed a hugely entertaining but worrying win.
Real Madrid looked to concede each chance Inter got, but also looked to score each time they went into the Italians’ half with the ball. Ultimately, just three goals were scored among the two sides, and the tie was luckily tilted Real Madrid’s way.
There were some brilliant performers on the night for the team, but also some who were mediocre. Here are three stars and two flops from the game against Inter.
Star: Thibaut Courtois
Despite Fede Valverde taking home the player of the match trophy, Courtois was undoubtedly Real Madrid’s best player on the pitch. He made a mammoth seven saves against Inter, and most of them were ridiculously good.
Real Madrid would have hoped they did not need this many saves from the Belgian goalkeeper, but they are incredibly lucky he still performs at this level, because without him, they would have lost this match.
Star: Brahim Diaz
Brahim Diaz had his best Real Madrid game in a long time on Tuesday night. He worked tirelessly on the defensive side of the pitch, but was also a brilliant presence on the right. His first-touch passes created many opportunities for his teammates, and one of his eye-opening dribbles deserved an assist.
Flop: Denzel Dumfries
Dumfries, once again, was underwhelming against his former club. He has not really looked that good in a Real Madrid shirt to be starting most of the team’s games at right-back, and the trend continued on Tuesday night. It was his man who scored Inter’s only goal to bring hopes of a comeback for the Italian side, and going forward, he did not provide a lot.
Star: Vinicius Junior
Despite being booed, Vinicius Junior was one of the best players on the pitch, and a lot of that did not have anything to do with his work on the ball. He looked good with the ball at his feet, too, but his defensive work is what took the cake. Vinicius Junior kickstarted so many counter-attacks through rigorous counter-pressing and tireless defending in his team’s half on many occasions. He looked like the Vinicius Junior of old without the ball, and that is the best compliment anyone can give him.
Flop: Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent wasn’t really all that bad, but he was worse than most of Real Madrid’s players. He started in an unnatural defensive midfielder role, and because of Inter dominating the play, he was not able to establish himself in the game. He did not have too much to do, and was subbed off for Aurelien Tchouameni in the second half.
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