Jose Mourinho marked his return to the UEFA Champions League with a winning start on Tuesday as Real Madrid defeated Inter Milan 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The victory came as Erling Haaland scored twice to help Manchester City secure a 2-0 away win over Portuguese champions Porto, while Aston Villa and Borussia Dortmund also opened their league-phase campaigns with victories.
Real Madrid, the record 15-time European champions, brought Mourinho back for a second spell in charge, and his first Champions League match since his return came against Inter, the club he famously guided to European glory in 2010.
Madrid raced into a two-goal lead midway through the first half after defensive errors from Inter.
Yann Bisseck was at fault as Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring on his 99th Champions League appearance. The French forward has now scored 71 goals in the competition, drawing level with Real Madrid legend Raul.
Real doubled their advantage when Inter goalkeeper Josep Martinez attempted to turn away from Fede Valverde inside his own six-yard box. Valverde dispossessed him before finishing to make it 2-0.
Carlos Augusto pulled one back for Inter, but Real Madrid held on to claim all three points.
“It was a crazy game,” Mourinho told broadcaster Movistar. “A game that finished 2-1 could have finished 7-6 without any problems.”
Manchester City also made a strong start, defeating Porto 2-0 away from home through a second-half brace from Haaland.
The Norwegian striker headed in Enzo Fernandez’s cross two minutes after the restart before sealing the victory in stoppage time. Haaland has now scored an astonishing 59 goals in 59 Champions League appearances.
“Erling Haaland is an animal. He is a beast, so every time he is on the pitch, I’m going to look for him, and hopefully give him many more assists,” Fernandez told Amazon Prime.
The result extended City’s winning run to four matches in all competitions. The 2023 Champions League winners will next face holders Paris Saint-Germain in their European campaign.
Aston Villa, last season’s Europa League winners, also secured a valuable away victory, beating Belgian champions Club Brugge 3-2.
John McGinn opened the scoring for Unai Emery’s side with a curling finish into the far corner. Villa had entered the match without scoring in their first three Premier League games of the season.
Hugo Vetlesen equalised for Club Brugge, but Emiliano Buendia quickly restored Villa’s lead before Nicolas Jackson extended the advantage to 3-1 two minutes before half-time.
Jackson, a summer signing, raced through to score his first goal for Villa after Club Brugge goalkeeper Yann Sommer came out of his box but failed to reach the ball.
Nicolo Tresoldi reduced the deficit shortly after the hour mark following a handball by Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Tresoldi then struck the post as the hosts pushed for an equaliser, but Villa held on for a crucial victory.
“We took one step forward today and it was very, very important for our confidence and stability,” said Emery.
Borussia Dortmund also began their campaign with a 3-2 home victory over Villarreal, with Serhou Guirassy playing a decisive role.
Renato Veiga’s own goal gave Dortmund the lead early in the second half before Santiago Mourino headed Villarreal level.
Guirassy restored Dortmund’s advantage with 10 minutes remaining before converting a penalty to score his second and Dortmund’s third.
The striker later became involved in an unfortunate own goal when a save by Gregor Kobel ricocheted off Guirassy’s face and into the net.
In France, Real Betis produced a dramatic comeback to beat Lille 3-2, with Troy Parrott once again proving decisive.
Marc Bartra scored twice for Betis to cancel out goals from Japan’s Ayase Ueda and Brazil defender Alexsandro.
Parrott, who had scored the winning goal against Real Madrid at the weekend, then struck in the 53rd minute to complete the comeback and hand Betis victory on their return to the Champions League after a 21-year absence.
Lille finished the match with 10 men after Ethan Mbappe, Kylian Mbappe’s younger brother, was sent off.
In the night’s other match, Greek champions AEK Athens defeated Austrian title winners LASK 1-0, with Razvan Marin scoring a stunning free-kick to secure the victory.
