Bellingham Slams His Own Finishing Despite Real Madrid Win Over Inter

Jude Bellingham did not let Real Madrid's win over Inter on Tuesday stop him from calling out his own performance in front of goal.

Madrid beat the Italian champions 2-1 in their Champions League opener at the Santiago Bernabeu, but Bellingham spent his post-match interview talking about the chances he missed rather than celebrating the three points.

"There were moments when we had to suffer against a very good team," Bellingham said. "They are Italian champions for a reason, and there were moments when we made them suffer, especially on the counterattack, when we moved the ball well. Something similar happened against Betis last weekend, when we failed to convert our chances."

He added that the game could have been put out of reach much earlier. "Today we could have finished the game with a bigger scoreline. We had chances, myself included, but in the Champions League there will be moments of suffering. We only conceded one goal, and the defenders did very well, but great teams find gaps."

The England midfielder pointed to two clear chances against Inter keeper Josep Martinez that he felt he should have scored. He gave the goalkeeper credit but was clearly annoyed with himself.

"I thought I was going to score. On the first chance, the goalkeeper appeared out of nowhere. The ball fell to me, and I thought: 'This is a goal.' But he pulled out an arm from who knows where, and on the second one I got to see the ball a bit late, there were people in the way, I tried to bring it down and struck it quite well. But again, out of nowhere, another great save," Bellingham said. "It's frustrating because it would have made life easier for us if I had scored, but it's part of the game. Another day, those will go in."

He went further into detail on a third missed chance set up by Brahim Diaz, admitting he hesitated at the wrong moment. "Brahim chipped it over and I was waiting for the ball to see it, it's finally come and it looked a bit high so I thought do I head it in, but in the end I just got in my own head and I even still managed to get a good chance but the goalie got back well to make the save," he said. "I had two sitters today. The goalkeeper did well, but I've just got to put the ball in the net."

Beyond his own game, Bellingham praised the impact of Jose Mourinho since his return to the club. He said the team's high press, which led directly to both goals against Inter, reflects the standards Mourinho has already set.

"Brilliant. He and his staff have been amazing at setting standards on and off the pitch. In terms of the values he wants his team to look like. We understand what he wants, and everyone is on... We know well how he wants his team to play," Bellingham said. 

"Today, we saw those values he instills. In both goals, that high pressing. There are many positives, but also things to improve. And that's normal because there's a new coach and a new team. I'm enjoying the good and the areas for improvement."