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Real Madrid survived by the narrowest of margins against Inter Milan, with a result that says far more than the performance deserved.

A battling victory for the Spanish giants has also left serious questions hanging over "The Special One".

Real Madrid defeated Inter Milan 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu in their opening Champions League match. But the scoreline was kinder to them than the display warranted. Los Blancos struggled for most of the contest against the Italian side, and the final result covered up a number of errors made by Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho in selecting his starting XI.

Set aside the three points, and Inter Milan were the superior side for long periods. They imposed their own rhythm on the game and threatened the Real Madrid goal on several occasions, only to be denied by Thibaut Courtois. The goalkeeper's outstanding display kept out dangerous efforts that could easily have changed the course of the match.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, hardly needed to construct much to score. They took full advantage of careless mistakes by Inter's defenders and goalkeeper, gifts that handed the home side a lead that never truly reflected the balance of play, especially in a first half controlled by the Nerazzurri.

Even so, Real's attackers wasted clear-cut opportunities that should have finished the match at 2-0. That lack of composure extended Los Merengues' suffering into the closing stages. The result works in Mourinho's favour, but the display and the choices behind it raise many doubts about how Real Madrid looked in their first European examination.

An unsuitable combination

Jose Mourinho came into the match dealing with a midfield crisis. Three players were unavailable through suspension at the same time: Eduardo Camavinga, Bernardo Silva and Arda Guler, all banned after red cards in the previous edition of the Champions League. That left the Portuguese manager with a major problem to solve in one of the most vital areas of the pitch.

Aurelien Tchouameni provided little help in that regard, as he was still not fully fit after recently returning from injury. Mourinho therefore took a gamble by moving Trent Alexander-Arnold into midfield alongside Fede Valverde. It did not work. Real Madrid never looked balanced, and the system exposed obvious weaknesses in the way Los Blancos operated.

Using only Alexander-Arnold and Valverde in central midfield effectively handed control of that zone to Inter Milan. The Italian side loaded the area with five players, giving themselves a clear numerical edge and much greater command of possession. They circulated the ball well, retained it comfortably and built attacks with freedom, while Real Madrid found it difficult to connect defence with attack.

Inter continued to push. Attack after attack came towards the Real Madrid goal, and the gap between the two teams became increasingly visible. Real relied heavily on the brilliance of Thibaut Courtois to survive. The Belgian made save after save, keeping his side alive and exposing the weakness in Mourinho's plan: this midfield was simply not equipped to deal with a team that had such numbers and authority in the centre of the pitch.

Defensive naivety and ruthless finishing

Inter Milan were pressing and looked the better team when Real Madrid received their first present. Oriel Bisseck lost possession in a dangerous area, Brahim Diaz reacted quickly, and Kylian Mbappe applied the finish. The goal arrived completely against the run of play, giving the Merengues the lead at a moment when Inter appeared far more threatening.

Inter had hardly recovered from that setback, and had no time to reorganise, when goalkeeper Josep Martinez produced an even more careless error. He tried to dribble past Fede Valverde, lost the ball, and saw it end up in his own net. Real Madrid were suddenly 2-0 ahead, even though the pattern of the game suggested something entirely different from the scoreline.

Real Madrid had converted two individual mistakes into two goals without needing to play at their best or take control of the contest. The Italians had more of the ball, more command of the match and more chances. They paid a heavy price for their defensive errors against opponents capable of punishing even the smallest opening.

By half-time, the image was unmistakable. Inter Milan had been the better side on the pitch, while Real Madrid were leading by two goals. That contrast summed up the difference between the teams in decisive moments: the Nerazzurri wasted their openings, while Real made full use of every gift and went into the break ahead with minimal effort.

A misleading victory

Real Madrid had the opportunity to put the game to bed in the second half. Inter pushed all their lines forward in search of a comeback, leaving spaces behind, and those openings gave the Royal Club more than one dangerous counter-attacking chance. Poor finishing in front of goal denied them a third strike that would have settled the contest completely.

Inter kept attacking and continued to test the Real Madrid defence, and with around 15 minutes remaining Augusto scored to cut the deficit. Anxiety immediately returned to the Royal Club. Mourinho responded at once by sending on Aurelien Tchouameni in an attempt to add balance in midfield and bring some control to the final phase of the match.

That goal forced Real Madrid into an almost complete retreat, with the players dropping deeper and deeper to protect their lead as Inter tried to take advantage of the withdrawal and pressed until the very end. The Royal Club held on. They preserved their advantage until the final whistle and claimed all three points despite the suffering they endured.

For that reason, this win over Inter Milan remains a deceptive one. The result gives Mourinho the ideal start in the Champions League, but the performance exposed clear issues in the line-up, the balance of the side and the finishing. Depending week after week on Courtois' individual brilliance, on the opponent's mistakes or on a single flash of attacking quality is not a sustainable method. Mourinho needs to rethink his approach quickly and find a better structure for the team, because individual efforts will not always rescue Real Madrid or continue to hide their flaws.