Kylian Mbappé is already turning this Champions League campaign into his own personal sprint.
Five games. Five goals. On Tuesday night, Inter Milan were the latest to feel the full force of Real Madrid’s new spearhead as the 15-time European champions opened their season in Europe with a 2-1 win that looked comfortable for an hour and edgy by the end.
Mbappé joins Raúl in the history books
The breakthrough came early, and it came from the man everyone in the stadium knew would be the danger. Curtis Jones was caught in possession, punished in an instant. Brahim Díaz pounced on the loose ball and slipped a sharp pass into Mbappé’s path.
One touch. One strike. One ruthless finish.
Mbappé swept his first-time shot past Josep Martínez in the 14th minute, low and decisive, the kind of finish that makes goalkeeping errors look unforgivable. The net rippled and with it another milestone fell: his 71st goal in the UEFA Champions League, pulling him level with Raúl in fifth place on the all-time scoring list.
At 27, he now stands alongside a Real Madrid legend, and yet still stares up at the distant summit. Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 140 goals in the competition remains out on the horizon, a mountain that may take years, not seasons, to climb. But Mbappé has started the journey at a sprint.
Valverde pounces, Madrid tighten their grip
If Inter were rattled by the opener, what followed nine minutes later only deepened the damage.
This time the mistake came from their own goalkeeper. Martínez hesitated with the ball at his feet, lingered a fraction too long, and Federico Valverde hunted him down. The Uruguayan jabbed the ball away and bundled it into the net, a poacher’s finish from a midfielder who never stops running.
2-0. Madrid in control. Inter staring at a long night.
From there, the Spanish giants did what they have done so often in this competition: managed the tempo, absorbed pressure, picked their moments. The match lost its early chaos and settled into a pattern that suited Carlo Ancelotti’s side, who looked content to let the clock and their experience do the work.
Late nerves, familiar outcome
Inter refused to fold. They pushed, probed and finally found a way through late on, pulling a goal back to spark a tense finish. Madrid, so assured for so long, suddenly had to dig in and defend their lead.
The late concession turned what might have been a statement win into a reminder: even the kings of Europe can be dragged into a scrap on opening night. Yet when the whistle blew, the story felt familiar.
Madrid had survived. Madrid had won. Madrid had their first three points of the new Champions League season.
And at the heart of it all, again, was Mbappé – scoring, climbing the all-time charts, and already shaping the narrative of another European campaign. How long before Ronaldo’s record stops looking untouchable and starts looking like a target?
