Mbappé and Real Madrid take advantage of Inter's mistakes, including goalkeeper's blunder

MADRID (AP) — First it was a defensive turnover that led to a Kylian Mbappé score, then an embarrassing blunder by Spanish goalkeeper Josep Martínez that gifted Federico Valverde another score.

Just like that, in less than 25 minutes, Real Madrid had a two-goal lead on its way to an opening win in the league phase of the Champions League on Tuesday.

The 15-time European champions took advantage of Inter's mistakes to win 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

The first goal came after a combination of defensive mistakes by Inter in the 14th minute: After receiving an imprecise pass backward, Yann Bisseck gave the ball away while under pressure. Brahim Díaz picked up the loose ball and quickly fed it to Mbappé, who entered the area to score his first European goal of the season. The forward now has scored in 11 consecutive Champions League seasons.

The second goal was a mistake by Martínez in the 23rd. The Spaniard tried to dribble the ball past Valverde inside the area but the Madrid midfielder was faster to get to the ball.

Martínez tried to change directions by pulling the ball behind his body but Valverde reached to it and poked it into the open net.

The Inter goalkeeper angrily picked up the ball from the back of the net and punted it away toward midfield as Madrid players celebrated.

“Our goals came when they went through a moment of difficulty, but I want to give credit to my players, Valverde's goal has to do with hard work,” Madrid coach José Mourinho said.

Martínez made a series of tough saves later on, including a close-range stop that kept Jude Bellingham from adding to the Madrid's lead just before halftime.

“I liked how our goalkeeper responded," Inter coach Cristian Chivu said. "It’s never easy to fight back after that, and I think he did a really good job. Now we all have to keep this up, keep our mindset, our personality, our attitude, and to cope with difficulties.”

Inter reduced the gap when Carlos Augusto scored in the 77th.

After the match, Martínez chatted with Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. They hugged and exchanged jerseys. Courtois also made some difficult saves for Madrid.

"We capitalized on their errors, and they didn’t manage to score until very late, though we could have put the game to bed earlier,” Courtois said.

The 28-year-old Martínez made one appearance with Spain's national team in 2021.

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Inter Milan's goalkeeper Josep Martinez reacts after the goal by Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe, during a Champions League soccer match between Real Madrid and Inter Milan in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe runs with ball during a Champions League soccer match between Real Madrid and Inter Milan in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Real Madrid's Federico Valverde celebrates with Kylian Mbappe scoring his side's second goal during a Champions League soccer match between Real Madrid and Inter Milan in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Real Madrid's Federico Valverde scores his side's second goal during a Champions League soccer match between Real Madrid and Inter Milan in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Real Madrid's Federico Valverde celebrates with Kylian Mbappe scoring his side's second goal during a Champions League soccer match between Real Madrid and Inter Milan in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Real Madrid's Federico Valverde scores his side's second goal during a Champions League soccer match between Real Madrid and Inter Milan in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian Supreme Court Justice André Mendonca on Tuesday removed the head of the country’s federal police and its intelligence chief from their posts, deepening a crisis at the top court and drawing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's government into the turmoil ahead of October national elections.

Mendonca, an appointee of former President Jair Bolsonaro, said in his ruling that federal police Director-General Andrei Rodrigues, a Lula nominee, and the intelligence director of the force, Leandro Almada, headed an organization that allegedly produced six illegal reports on the justice's activities through the end of August.

Lula’s solicitor-general appealed the decision before the court’s chief-justice hours later, saying Mendonca has no jurisdiction in deciding who heads the country’s federal police.

Mendonca currently chairs two politically sensitive investigations: one into the collapse of Banco Master, which has ensnared several politicians, and another into alleged frauds in Brazil's pension system. The first has hit mostly figures of the country's opposition, while the latter has raised questions of wrongdoing by one of Lula's sons.

Brazil’s solicitor-general's office said in a statement that Mendonca's decision is “a grave injury to public and administrative order” that challenges the president's right to choose who leads the federal police. It also said Rodrigues' “abrupt removal from the force's management compromises the functioning of police activities.”

Lula is bidding for reelection in October against Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of the former president who is currently serving his 27-year prison sentence at home for an attempted coup.

William Marcel Murad, the federal police's executive director and Rodrigues' acting replacement, said in a statement that the director-general has the force's “full confidence” and that agents “will not be shaken by attacks.”

Later, 11 federal police directors said in a joint statement that they had offered their resignations to Murad, who will decide whether to accept them. The directors said Mendonca's accusations “have no ground, and challenge the history, the credibility and the institutional commitment” of the force's director-general and intelligence chief.

“Narratives that are notably influenced by electoral and political interests do not yield the power of erasing the history, the reputation and the professional trajectory” of federal police leaders, the statement read.

Mendonca’s decision to remove the federal police chief comes amid a major clash between him and fellow justice Alexandre de Moraes, who sentenced Bolsonaro to prison last year. Last week, Mendonca unsealed federal police documents that showed that Banco Master owner Daniel Vorcaro frequently sought de Moraes' legal advice before his arrest.

De Moraes had previously denied wrongdoing involving Vorcaro, though his wife provided legal services to Banco Master as part of a 130 million reais ($25 million) contract. Since Mendonca's decision to unseal documents last week, de Moraes is under pressure from politicians, the media and legal experts to resign. He is yet to make public comments about the case.

Brazil's main media reported last week that Mendonca was seeking a suspension for de Moraes from the court until it decides whether he should be investigated in the potential graft case. De Moraes, in turn, said in another ruling that Mendonca should be investigated by the court and potentially impeached by the Senate for interviewing Vorcaro in August without the presence of federal police agents or prosecutors.

On Monday, Brazil's Independence Day, tens of thousands of supporters of opposition presidential candidate Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro filled Sao Paulo's key artery, with many calling for de Moraes' removal. Demonstrators held a giant inflatable figure of Mendonca and wore shirts in support of the Supreme Court justice.

Sen. Bolsonaro celebrated the move in his social media channels.

“Lula's special group in the federal police was officially unmasked. May the honorable and glorious federal police once again have the autonomy to go after criminals, and not Lula's political adversaries,” the presidential candidate said.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Supreme Court Justice Andre Mendonca, left, and Justice Alexandre de Moraes attend a plenary session of the court in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, right, speaks with Federal Police Director General Andrei Rodrigues, center, next to Justice Minister Wellington Cesar, far left, during Independence Day celebrations in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)