Rodrygo scores late on to secure victory over Inter Milan

Rodrygo came off the bench to score the winner for Real Madrid in a pulsating encounter, as Zinedine Zidane’s men finally claimed their first victory in Group B.

Both sides came into the game looking for their first win of the competition, with Real Madrid propping up Group B with just a point from two games and Inter in third following back-to-back draws.

Los Blancos raced into the lead with two goals in eight first half minutes, Karim Benzema pouncing on Achraf Hakimi’s dreadful back pass to dink the ball over Samir Handanovic and finish into an empty net, before Sergio Ramos headed in from Toni Kroos’ corner delivery.

In the absence of the injured Romelu Lukaku, Ivan Perisic partnered Lautaro Martinez in the visitors’ attack, and it was the latter who halved the deficit just two minutes later, with the Argentine grabbing his first goal in six games by slotting a left-footed shot past Thibaut Courtois from Nicolo Barella’s sensational flicked assist.

Inter drew level with 68 minutes on the clock, Perisic firing past Courtois with a lovely left-footed shot and the Nerazzurri had chances to win it, with the Croatian and Martinez firing agonisingly wide on the counter as Real threw caution to the wind in search of the winner.

With the game ebbing and flowing, Real proved more ruthless, with Zidane’s substitutes combining to take all three points in the 80th-minute, Vinicius Junior picking out Rodrygo, who lifted an unstoppable shot into the top corner.