Kylian Mbappé moved level with Real Madrid legend Raúl in the Champions League’s all-time scoring charts as Real Madrid opened their campaign with a victory over Inter Milan.
Mbappé struck in the 14th minute, cutting inside the box before producing a clinical finish for his 71st Champions League goal in 99 appearances. The France captain is now joint-fifth among the competition’s leading scorers, alongside Raúl.
Only Cristiano Ronaldo (140), Lionel Messi (129), Robert Lewandowski (109) and Karim Benzema (90) have scored more.
Real doubled their advantage nine minutes later after an extraordinary error from Inter goalkeeper Josep Martínez. A loose touch following Benjamin Pavard’s back pass allowed Federico Valverde to win possession and finish into an empty net.
Inter had threatened early on, with Thibaut Courtois — making his 100th Champions League appearance — denying Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Lautaro Martínez. Curtis Jones also struck the crossbar as the Italian champions continued to create openings.
Real came close to a third before half-time, but Martínez produced two saves to deny Mbappé and Jude Bellingham, while the woodwork again came to Inter’s rescue.
Bellingham then missed another excellent opportunity after the break before Inter finally reduced the deficit through Carlos Augusto in the 77th minute, setting up a tense finish.
Real ultimately held on, although their performance did little to satisfy the home crowd, with sections of the Santiago Bernabéu expressing their frustration during the game.
For Mbappé, however, the night provided another landmark as he moved into the company of some of European football’s greatest goalscorers.
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