Real Madrid continue to confound in the Champions League.Jose Mourinho’s side found themselves 2-0 up after only 23 minutes in their opening league-phase game at home against Inter on Tuesday, with Kylian Mbappe and Federico Valverde capitalising on errors from the Italians.Mbappe’s 14th-minute goal was his 71st in the competition, making him its joint-fifth-highest scorer, alongside Madrid legend Raul. Valverde’s came after Inter goalkeeper Josep Martinez inexplicably tried to play out from the back when under pressure.Yet Inter had 21 shots and drew seven saves from Thibaut Courtois — and Madrid were booed by their own fans despite that healthy two-goal advantage, with supporters not happy with how their side were playing. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Vinicius Junior were among the players singled out for vocal criticism, with audible whistles when the Brazilian was substituted in the 88th minute.Carlos Augusto’s 77th-minute goal from a Lautaro Martinez cutback led to a nervous finish. Madrid held on, but are Mourinho’s men really ready for a Champions League charge on this evidence?Dermot Corrigan and Conor O’Neill analyse the action.Are Madrid working harder under Mourinho?Madrid’s squad is not geared for an intense, high-pressing style, but they were ruthless tonight when they committed men in the final third, an efficiency that resulted in both of their goals.For the opener, it was pressure from Mbappe that forced centre-back Yann Bisseck into a mistake, after Curtis Jones underhit a pass towards his team-mate. Brahim Diaz supported Mbappe from behind and was alert to Bisseck’s miscontrol, sliding a ball through for the double World Cup Golden Boot winner to guide home.Mbappe is often the scapegoat at Madrid, with his defensive contribution numbers towards the bottom of the rankings across Europe’s big five domestic leagues last season. But the France captain gently pushed back against that narrative in the press conference before this match, reminding reporters where his responsibilities lie when questioned about his and Vinicius Jr’s defensive efforts, in comparison with Barcelona’s Raphinha and Ousmane Dembele of Paris Saint-Germain.“Just me and Vinicius? I don’t know,” he said. “Of course, we have to improve. That’s natural, like with every player.“I could be silly and say that everyone else has to score as many goals as me, but comparisons don’t make sense. I think we have to do things better with the ball, but that is the life of a top-level team.”Mbappe is right that pressing is a team effort, and one player who never shirks that effort is Valverde, whose endeavour was rewarded with surely the easiest goal of his career.Even if goalkeeper Martinez — formerly of Barcelona’s La Masia academy — inexplicably attempted a drag-back with the foot closest to Valverde, it was the Uruguay international’s sprint that allowed him to effectively tackle the ball into an empty net.Conor O’NeillHow did Alexander-Arnold do in midfield?The eternal debate over whether Alexander-Arnold can play in midfield now has a fresh Mourinho-themed chapter to call on. But after the Englishman’s first start under the Portuguese, the evidence is, as ever, inconclusive. The long-time right-back never quite convinced in that role on Tuesday night.Fielded at the base of a three-man midfield with Valverde and Jude Bellingham, Alexander-Arnold was tasked with ticking possession over, providing defensive cover while still attempting the defence-splitting passes for which he is renowned. It never fully clicked.No Madrid player attempted more crosses or switches of play per 90 minutes than Alexander-Arnold in his 2025-26 debut season, but the kind of metronomic short passing required at the base of midfield is not his forte. He completed a respectable 86 per cent of his passes, but was fortunate Lautaro did not punish him for a careless one he misplaced near the centre circle.To his credit, Alexander-Arnold was parachuted into a team who struggled to control this game, and his midfield partners did not fare much better in build-up, with Madrid managing just 30 per cent possession in the first half.With little support around him, the former Liverpool player looked a little lost, often unsure which spaces to occupy out of possession. He was whistled by the crowd when substituted on 79 minutes, having not recorded a single tackle or interception.It might feel like another false start for any midfield ambitions Alexander-Arnold might harbour under Mourinho, but this is still a Madrid team finding their way, and his exceptional passing ability may yet earn the 27-year-old a key role in the centre of the park.Conor O’NeillIs Mbappe timing his Ballon d’Or run to perfection?On the day Mbappe was confirmed as one of the players on the 30-strong 2026 Ballon d’Or shortlist, he seemed to be hitting form at just the right time.The Frenchman scored four goals in his first three La Liga games of the season, but drew a blank — including missing a stoppage-time penalty — in the weekend’s 1-0 defeat at Real Betis.At Monday’s pre-game media session, Mbappe did not play down the idea he deserves to win a first Ballon d’Or this year, reminding everyone of his “historic” achievement in breaking the World Cup career goalscoring record at this summer’s tournament. He also got 42 in 44 games for Madrid last season, where he finished as the Champions League’s top scorer with 15.It took Mbappe just 14 minutes to get off the mark this European campaign, punishing that Bisseck mistake. He almost had another goal close to half-time, making a fine, 50-yard run from the halfway line and bamboozling two defenders on the edge of the penalty area before being denied by Martinez.Many fans — and not just those of Madrid — were surprised not to see Mbappe’s club team-mate Courtois on the Ballon d’Or shortlist. This is the first time no goalkeepers have made the cut since 1995.Thibaut Courtois was imperious for Real Madrid (Denis Doyle/Getty Images)Courtois saved spectacularly from Marcus Thuram with this game scoreless and also denied Lautaro, Hakan Calhanoglu and Alessandro Bastoni en route to seven stops in total on his 100th career Champions League appearance. He wasn’t captain (Valverde was) but it was he who cajoled his team-mates after Inter halved the lead late on, too.Not for the first time in recent history, a Madrid win in the Champions League had the same two main protagonists.Mbappe’s goals are well recognised, and could finally bring him the game’s biggest individual prize this year. Courtois’ saves are just as appreciated in the Spanish capital — but clearly not by the Ballon d’Or organisers.Dermot CorriganA familiar start for MadridMourinho must have been happy with the work rate his team showed in carving out the first-half goals which ultimately decided this game. But the manager, back at the Bernabeu for a second spell in charge 13 years after his previous one ended, is unlikely to have been impressed with their lack of organisation, on and off the ball.Madrid did not defend particularly well, did not pass the ball well, missed lots of chances and allowed Inter to dominate possession and territory for long spells.Having said all that, Mourinho’s team still won, though they were hanging on in the closing stages. And banking three points is always the most important thing, as the manager himself made sure to point out beforehand.Madrid have often stumbled through the autumn, whoever is in charge. There were regular shaky group-stage performances when Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane were in the dugout — and those seasons often ended in European glory.They were missing important players, especially in midfield, with Arda Guler, Bernardo Silva and Eduardo Camavinga suspended, and Aurelien Tchouameni only fit enough to make his first appearance of the season as a late substitute. Mourinho has plenty of material to work with, and his second term is just getting started.So the frustrated whistles from many in the crowd were understandable, but he and his players have time to gel.Whether they will be able to or not remains to be seen.Dermot Corrigan