Jose Mourinho has named only one team he believes can challenge Inter in Serie A, after his Real Madrid side defeated the Italian club 2-1 in the opening round of the Champions League.
Mourinho, the Real Madrid manager, commented on Inter following the meeting between the two sides. Real Madrid came from the contest with a 2-1 victory over the Nerazzurri, giving the Spanish club the advantage in their first Champions League fixture of the campaign.
The report identifies Mourinho’s main assessment as being about the competition Inter could face in Serie A. He is said to have singled out one team as capable of mounting a challenge to Inter, although the specific name of that club is not included in the available account.
His comments came after Real Madrid’s win over Inter, a result that placed the focus on the Italian side and its position among the leading teams in Serie A. The match was also significant because it brought Mourinho’s Real Madrid into direct opposition with Inter in European competition.
The 2-1 scoreline is the only result given from the Champions League meeting. No further details of the goals, the performance of either side or the precise wording of Mourinho’s comments are provided.
Real Madrid will continue their Champions League campaign with an away match against Roma in the second round. That fixture is scheduled to take place on 14 October.
The forthcoming match will see Mourinho’s side face another Italian club after their victory over Inter in the opening round. The original report gives no further information about the venue, kick-off time or the teams’ line-ups for the game against Roma.
Mourinho’s remarks therefore connect two parts of Real Madrid’s European schedule: the 2-1 win against Inter and the upcoming trip to face Roma. His wider observation concerns Inter’s prospects in Serie A, where he believes only one team is capable of challenging them.
The available report does not identify that team by name, nor does it provide additional detail about why Mourinho considers it Inter’s principal rival. It does, however, place his assessment in the context of Real Madrid’s opening Champions League victory over the Nerazzurri and the next European fixture against Roma on 14 October.