Mourinho: We beat Inter after a crazy match
Madrid (AFP) - Real Madrid, aiming to extend their record with a 16th title, secured the opening matchday clash of the new unified group-stage format of the UEFA Champions League by defeating visitors Inter Milan 2-1, thanks to two goals from the Italian league champions. Meanwhile, Norway’s Erling Haaland scored a brace to lead English side Manchester City to a 2-0 victory over Portuguese hosts Porto.
In a match against Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho, who led Inter to a treble of the Champions League, La Liga, and the domestic cup in 2010 before leaving them at the end of the season to embark on his first venture with Real Madrid, Inter’s curse against the Spanish club continued. Real Madrid secured their sixth consecutive win over their Italian rivals.
Inter had won only once in nine previous European visits to Madrid, a 2-0 victory in the second leg of the 1966-67 European Cup quarter-finals, before reaching the final and losing to Scottish side Celtic.
Real Madrid’s first serious opportunity came through Frenchman Kylian Mbappe, who scored his 71st goal in the competition after receiving the ball from Moroccan Ibrahim Diaz, following a serious error by German center-back Jan Bisek (14th minute).
Another serious error came from Spanish goalkeeper Josep Martinez, who mishandled an easy pass from his French teammate Benjamin Pavard, allowing Uruguayan Federico Valverde to steal the ball and fire it into the net (23rd minute).
After the match, Mourinho said the win over Inter Milan came after a crazy scenario.
Speaking to Movistar, he added: “We are heavily criticized when the match is boring, but this match was crazy, and it could have ended with one team winning 7-6.”
He continued: “But Real Madrid players deserve praise and appreciation. The second goal scored by Valverde was the result of hard work.”
On his part, Inter coach Cristian Chivu, Romanian, refused to express anger over his team’s loss, choosing instead to speak optimistically and sending a message of praise to his players after they showed great character and courage at the Santiago Bernabeu, especially in the second half when they scored a goal to reduce the deficit and pressed for an equalizer.
Chivu said: “I am not angry at all, but happy with the courage and character my team showed.”
He added: “Mistakes are part of football; what matters is how you deal with them and move forward, as well as the body language and mentality we showed until the end. I think we played a good match, tried to be the dominant side and maintain control throughout. This makes me happy and optimistic about the future of this team.”
In Porto, Haaland was on target, raising his tally to 59 goals in 59 matches in the continental competition, with a brace that secured Manchester City’s 2-0 win over hosts Porto.
German side Borussia Dortmund defeated Spanish visitors Villarreal 3-2. Goals for the winners came from Guinean Serhou Guirassy (80th and 85th minute, both penalties) and an own goal by Portuguese player Ronato Vega (53rd minute). For the losers, Uruguayan Santiago Moreno scored (66th minute), and Guirassy scored an own goal (90+3rd minute).
With a stunning single goal scored by Romanian Razvan Marin in the 21st minute from a free kick, Greek side AEK Athens achieved a successful return to the competition after missing out since the 2018-2019 season, at the expense of Austrian newcomers LASK Linz.
However, Paredes equalized again in the second half (49th minute), before Irishman Troy Parrott added a third for the Spanish side (53rd minute).
Jürgen Klopp’s Club Brugge fell to English visitors Aston Villa, the Europa League champions, with goals from Norway’s Hugo Ekitike (19th minute) and Germany’s Nicolo Zaniolo (61st, penalty) against three for Scotland’s John McGinn (11th), Argentina’s Emiliano Buendía (29th), and Senegal’s Nicolas Jackson (43rd).
