Real Madrid held on to beat Inter 2-1, but spent part of the closing stages with one fewer player on the pitch. Alvaro Carreras had to wait on the touchline after Vinicius left the field slowly during a substitution, according to VnExpress.
Inter applied considerable pressure during that interval. Thibaut Courtois stopped a deflected shot from Henrikh Mkhitaryan, while Madrid's defenders blocked a later ball across the area and cleared the danger before Carreras was allowed to enter.
Citing Marca, the report explained that the substitution rule being applied was intended to discourage players from delaying their departure. In this case, the wait did not end automatically after one minute, because entry also depended on a stoppage in play. Madrid consequently remained short-handed for more than two minutes.
Vinicius had made a limited attacking impact against Inter. After the match, Jose Mourinho acknowledged that the forward was below his best but recognised his effort, while also discussing the difficulty of facing the visitors' three-man defence.
Goals from Kylian Mbappe and Federico Valverde ultimately delivered three points in Madrid's Champions League opener. Courtois's late interventions helped preserve the result as Inter searched for an equaliser.