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imago-sport-1082615941.jpgAnadolu Agency

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Merciless: Real Madrid the biggest beneficiaries of goalkeeper errors in the Champions League

Real Madrid love a goalkeeping error, and in the UEFA Champions League they pounce on them like few others. Inter Milan were the latest to find out.

The trap was sprung in the 23rd minute at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday evening, in the first round of the league phase. Inter's Spanish goalkeeper Josep Martinez walked straight into it.

Trying to dribble past Fede Valverde in front of goal, Martinez was robbed by the Uruguayan, who slotted the ball into an empty net for Real Madrid's second.

That strike doubled the lead to 2-0, after Kylian Mbappe had opened the scoring in the 14th minute.

Opta's numbers tell the story. No side has cashed in on goalkeeping mistakes more than Real Madrid in the Champions League since the 2007-2008 season.

Across that spell, they have scored 30 goals directly from goalkeeper errors. That is at least five more than anyone else.

Arsenal sit second on the list with 25.

Valverde, meanwhile, is finding the net far more regularly. His goal was a fourth in his last five Champions League matches, having managed just three in his first 75 in the competition for Real Madrid.

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