Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland led the way as Real Madrid and Manchester City opened their Champions League campaigns with victories on Tuesday.

Real Madrid edged Inter Milan 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu, while Manchester City secured a 2-0 away victory over Porto.

At the Bernabéu, Madrid took control early in the match as Mbappé and Federico Valverde put the hosts two goals ahead before Carlos Augusto pulled one back for Inter.

Mbappé opened the scoring after Inter defender Yann Bisseck’s attempted clearance fell to Brahim Díaz, who set up the French forward to finish.

Valverde then doubled Real Madrid’s advantage after Inter goalkeeper Josep Martínez was caught out.

Inter responded in the second half through Carlos Augusto, setting up a tense finish as the visitors pushed for an equaliser.

However, Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois produced several crucial saves to preserve his side’s lead and secure three points.

The victory was particularly significant for José Mourinho, who returned to the Real Madrid dugout this season and began another Champions League campaign with the Spanish giants.

Ahead of the match, Mourinho had dismissed suggestions that he was under additional pressure to win the competition, despite failing to lift the trophy during his first spell at the club.

Reuters reported that Mourinho said his previous successes and failures were separate from his current objectives, while emphasising the importance of building “stability” and a “strong structure” at the club.

Haaland Strikes Twice for City

In Portugal, Erling Haaland scored twice as Manchester City defeated Porto 2-0 to begin their Champions League campaign with an impressive away victory.

The Norway international headed City into the lead early in the second half before completing his brace in stoppage time to seal the win.

The victory gave new City manager Enzo Maresca a winning start in the Champions League after a physical and goalless first half in Portugal.

Haaland’s performance continued his impressive start to the season. The striker had already scored in each of City’s opening three Premier League victories before the trip to Portugal.

Maresca had acknowledged before the match that Haaland might need a rest after playing every competitive minute for City at that stage of the campaign, while also representing Norway at the World Cup.

Instead, the striker once again proved decisive.

His first goal came from a header following a move involving Rayan Cherki and Enzo Fernández, while he completed the scoring late in the match after a cut-back from Rayan Aït-Nouri.

Porto threatened at various stages of the contest but were unable to find a way back into the game, while City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made important saves to keep the hosts at bay.

The victories give Real Madrid and Manchester City an early boost in the revamped Champions League league phase, with both European heavyweights picking up three points from challenging opening fixtures.