After Real Madrid’s victory over Inter Milan, Fede Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Thibaut Courtois and Dean Huijsen spoke to the media about the team’s performance.
Real Madrid began their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabéu. Despite collecting all three points, José Mourinho’s side endured long periods of pressure against the Nerazzurri and were forced to defend deeply, particularly in the second half.
After the match, several Madrid players admitted that there was still plenty of room for improvement.
Federico Valverde: “We suffered too much”
Federico Valverde, who scored and was named Man of the Match, praised Thibaut Courtois while acknowledging Madrid’s problems.
“We played a great first half. Courtois deserves a lot of credit because he saved us today and produced an incredible performance,” Valverde said.
“In the second half, when we stopped playing our football, we suffered a lot. That cannot happen, especially at home. We needed to impose our game, but we rushed too much when attacking and trying to finish moves.
“We didn’t have the patience to keep the ball, play calmly and breathe a little. That turned the game into something completely crazy, where we were constantly defending.”
Valverde also stressed the importance of starting the Champions League with a victory.
“It is always important to win and recover confidence, especially after losing a game like the one against Betis. We got that confidence back today, but we must also be self-critical because we didn’t play our best football.”
Bellingham frustrated by missed chances
Jude Bellingham admitted that Real Madrid had to suffer against a very strong Inter side.
“They are Italian champions for a reason,” he said. “There were moments when they made us suffer, but there were also moments when we hurt them, especially on the counterattack.
“We could have won by a bigger margin. We didn’t take our chances, just like against Betis. Courtois was fantastic and the defenders also did very well. There are things we need to improve, but the most important thing is the three points.”
Bellingham was also frustrated after being denied twice.
“I thought I was going to score. On the first chance, the goalkeeper came from nowhere and somehow got an arm to it. On the second, I saw the ball late because there were players in front of me.
“It is frustrating because scoring would have made life much easier for us. But that is football. On another day, those chances go in.”
Regarding Mourinho’s philosophy, Bellingham added: “We know exactly how he wants us to play. You could see some of those principles today, especially the high pressing that led to both goals. There is still work to do, but that motivates me.”
Courtois calls for more control
Thibaut Courtois described Inter as one of Europe’s strongest teams.
“It could have finished 4-4,” the Belgian goalkeeper said. “We took advantage of their mistakes, but we should have killed the game earlier. Because we didn’t, we had to suffer at the end.”
Courtois believes Madrid need to manage games better.
“We lacked control. Sometimes, when there is no clear chance to attack, it is better to keep possession, calm things down and make the opponent run. Instead, we lost the ball and had to defend again.”
Huijsen praises Mourinho and Konaté
Dean Huijsen was also satisfied with the victory but insisted Madrid could have made the result far more comfortable.
🚨 Fede Valverde : "Les fans ont 100% RAISON de nous SIFFLER." ✅‼️
— RMadrid actu 🇫🇷 (@RMadrid_actu) September 8, 2026
"On doit être MEILLEURS." pic.twitter.com/14tiBuyuAf
“If we had scored the third goal, the game would have been over,” he explained. “We created enough chances to win by five or six goals.”
The defender also spoke about Mourinho’s demands.
“Mourinho puts a lot of pressure on me, and that is good because he knows the qualities I have. He wants me to improve and reach another level.”
Huijsen also praised his partnership with Ibrahima Konaté.
“He’s a beast. He’s very good defensively and with the ball. He’s strong, fast and tall, and he loves physical duels. I think we complement each other very well.”
Finally, when asked about Kylian Mbappé’s Ballon d’Or chances, Huijsen replied: “I don’t vote, but I think he has a very good chance. Everyone knows how special he is. Hopefully, he keeps scoring a lot of goals for us.”
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