Madrid and City Start Champions League with Wins Thanks to Haaland and Mbappé

Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland shone as Real Madrid and Manchester City kicked off their Champions League seasons with wins on Tuesday. Madrid edged Inter Milan 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu, while City won 2-0 away to Porto.

Real Madrid faced a late scare from Inter after Mbappé and Federico Valverde put the hosts two goals up. Carlos Augusto pulled one back for the Italian side, making it a tense finish.

UEFA noted that Mbappé and Valverde gave Madrid an early lead. But Inter’s late goal set up a nervous end at the Bernabéu.

Mbappé scored first after Inter defender Yann Bisseck’s clearance fell to Brahim Díaz. Díaz set up the French star perfectly.

Valverde then made it 2-0 after Inter goalkeeper Josep Martínez made a mistake. Inter responded with a goal from Carlos Augusto in the second half. They pressed hard for an equaliser.

Thibaut Courtois made several crucial saves to keep Madrid ahead. José Mourinho’s team kicked off their European campaign with three important points.

This win was especially important for Mourinho, who returned to the Real Madrid bench this season. He started another Champions League journey with the club.

Before the match, Mourinho downplayed any added pressure to win the trophy. He had not won it during his first time at Madrid.

Reuters reported that Mourinho said his past successes and failures are not tied to his current goals. He stressed the need for building “stability” and a “strong structure” at the club.

In Portugal, Haaland scored both goals as Manchester City beat Porto 2-0. This impressive away win kicked off their campaign well.

The Norway striker headed City in front early in the second half. He finished his brace in stoppage time to secure the victory.

This win gave new City manager Enzo Maresca a great start in the Champions League. The visitors found a way to win after a tough first half without goals.

Haaland has had an amazing start to the season. He scored in each of City’s first three Premier League wins before this Champions League match.

Maresca had said before the game that Haaland might need a break after playing every minute for City and also for Norway in the World Cup.

But the striker proved himself again with a key performance. His first goal came from a header after a play with Rayan Cherki and Enzo Fernández. He scored again late in the game after Rayan Aït-Nouri set him up.

Porto had their chances during the match but could not find the net. City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made important saves to keep Porto from scoring.

These two wins give Real Madrid and Manchester City a strong start as the Champions League group stage begins. Both teams took three points from tough opening matches.