Courtois Secures 2-1 Win as Real Madrid Admit Second-Half Chaos
The narrow Champions League victory restores confidence while exposing clear gaps in possession and game management that the club must fix.
Overview
- Real Madrid beat Inter Milan 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu, a result that responded to their recent La Liga loss and gave the squad an immediate confidence boost.
- Thibaut Courtois made several decisive saves including a stop from a Hakan Calhanoglu free-kick and said he kept to his near-post corner because past goals by Marcus Rashford and Lamine Yamal informed his choice.
- Captain Federico Valverde collected the match MVP and said Courtois 'deserves a huge share of the credit' for keeping Real in front.
- Players and staff said the team lost control after the interval and struggled to keep possession despite Jose Mourinho’s half-time instruction to play calmer and hold the ball more.
- The win keeps Real Madrid top of their Champions League group early on and raises a clear task for the squad: convert chances and improve possession and composure to avoid close calls in future matches.