Jude Bellingham Reflects on Real Madrid's Narrow Win Over Inter Milan
Jude Bellingham walked off the pitch at the Bernabéu with three points in his pocket and frustration still written across his face.
Real Madrid had just opened their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 win over Inter Milan on Tuesday night, but the scoreline told only half the story. For long spells, the Italian champions forced Madrid to suffer.
“We struggled at times against a very strong team,” Bellingham admitted afterwards. “They are deserving Italian champions, and there were moments when we made them suffer, especially on the counter-attacks, when we were passing the ball well.”
Madrid’s transitions cut Inter open more than once, yet the killer touch never quite arrived. The pattern felt familiar to the England midfielder, who immediately drew a line back to the weekend.
“Something similar happened against Real Betis at the end of last week, when we failed to take our chances,” he said, echoing the sense that Madrid are still leaving teams alive when they should be buried.
Bellingham knew this one should have been over long before the final whistle.
“We could have finished the match with an easier scoreline,” he said. “We had chances, myself included, but in the Champions League there are bound to be difficult moments.”
Those difficult moments came late, with Inter finding gaps and forcing Madrid’s back line to bend. It never quite broke, and when it threatened to, Thibaut Courtois was there.
“We conceded only one goal, and the defenders were excellent, but big teams find gaps in our defence. And Courtois was brilliant,” Bellingham stressed. “Not everything was bad, but there is still room for improvement. The most important thing is the three points.”
For Bellingham personally, the night was a story of almosts.
“I thought I was going to score,” he admitted. “The first time, the goalkeeper suddenly appeared. The ball reached me and I said to myself: ‘It’s a goal.’ But he cleared it suddenly.”
He replayed the second chance just as vividly.
“The second time, I saw the ball a little late, and there were players in the middle, I tried to control it and struck it well. But once again, the goalkeeper saved it superbly.”
Two big openings. Two big saves. No goal.
“It’s frustrating, because it would have made things easier for us if I had scored, but it’s part of the game,” Bellingham concluded. “On another day, these shots will go in.”
Madrid have their start: three points, a narrow win, and a reminder that the Champions League rarely forgives wastefulness. The question now is simple – when the next big night comes, will those “another day” chances finally find the net?
