Thibaut Courtois: 8.5. Seven saves — and that doesn’t include those wiped out by Inter offsides. Both Mourinho and Valverde said afterwards that Courtois deserved to be Man of the Match. They’re right.
Denzel Dumfries: 6. Struggled at both ends. To be fair, he received little defensive support beyond Konaté and was consistently isolated against Carlos Augusto.
Ibrahima Konaté: 7. Put in a strong defensive shift, commanding the right half-space despite Real Madrid’s broader defensive problems. His coverage
was particularly important given how often Dumfries was left exposed.
Dean Huijsen: 8.5. Finished with 12 clearances and repeatedly timed his interventions perfectly when stepping out of the defensive line. An excellent performance on a night when Madrid’s centre-backs had plenty to deal with.
Marc Cucurella: 7. Initially struggled with Diouf’s dribbling and Inter’s fluid movement around him, but was excellent with the ball at his feet. Grew into the game in the second half and won the Bernabéu over with his challenges.
Trent Alexander-Arnold: 5. Being deployed in midfield wasn’t his decision, and the role did him few favours. Nevertheless, he looked lost defensively and had little influence in possession.
Fede Valverde: 7.5. Frequently came across to help Cucurella, though his tracking was inconsistent: sometimes he followed the wrong runner or reacted late; other times, he read the danger perfectly. His pressing on the goal he scored was excellent. A good performance overall.
Brahim Díaz: 8.5. Excellent. Madrid’s best creator in Arda Güler’s absence, finishing with four key passes and a vital assist for Mbappé. With better finishing around him, he could easily have walked away with a hat-trick of assists.
Jude Bellingham: 7. Quiet in possession during the first half, but active defensively. Came alive after the break and exerted more influence in the final third, though two missed sitters took some shine off his performance.
Vinícius Júnior: 7. A night to forget with the ball at his feet. Completed two of his five attempted dribbles and lost possession 12 times. His work without the ball, however, deserves recognition: he made nine recoveries, which, according to Opta Jose, was the most by a Real Madrid player in a Champions League match since Gonzalo Higuaín’s 12 in 2008. There was no questioning his work ethic.
Kylian Mbappé: 7.5. Scored the vital opener, but could have done better with a couple of other big chances. An important contribution, with room for greater ruthlessness in front of goal.
Substitutes
Yan Diomande: 6.5. A relatively quiet cameo. Failed to beat Bastoni in one notable duel despite having fresh legs, but did produce some nice touches on the right side of the box.
Aurélien Tchouaméni: 6.5. Little to assess. Sat deep to help protect the lead and finished with just four touches.
Álvaro Carreras: N/A.
Carlos Espí: N/A.
