Inter’s Champions League week has turned sharply against them: a 4-3 home defeat by Club Brugge at San Siro left the Nerazzurri without a point after two League Phase matches, despite Lautaro Martínez scoring twice in a frantic contest.
Key takeaways
- Nicolò Tresoldi struck a hat-trick for Club Brugge, scoring twice after the interval to punish Inter’s defensive lapses.
- Inter have begun the 2026-27 Champions League League Phase with consecutive defeats, following their opening loss away to Real Madrid.
- Lautaro Martínez ended his Champions League scoring wait, having last found the net in the competition on 5 November 2025.
- Club Brugge led 3-1 by the 74th minute before Vermant’s late fourth goal appeared to settle the night.
- Inter scored three times but could not turn their late pressure into a rescue act at San Siro.
Tresoldi’s San Siro dream becomes Brugge’s statement
San Siro had gone 342 days without witnessing an Inter victory in the Champions League, and that wait will continue after a night shaped by Tresoldi’s finishing. The 22-year-old, a declared Milan supporter, had long imagined scoring in this stadium in Milan colours. Instead, he celebrated three goals against Inter in a Club Brugge shirt.
The Belgian visitors showed no sign of being overawed from the opening minutes. Diouf tested the home side’s resolve after three minutes by reaching the byline, while Thuram followed with an inventive outside-of-the-foot effort. Lautaro, meanwhile, had three early attempts without finding the target.
Tresoldi’s first significant opening arrived in the 21st minute, when Bastoni blocked his shot in the area. Inter had their own moments through Zielinski and Forbs on the break, but Brugge earned the decisive first-half advantage when Calhanoglu brought down Forbs inside the box. Tresoldi converted the penalty confidently and celebrated in front of the Curva Nord.
Inter responded rather than retreating. Lautaro thought he had levelled in the 36th minute from a free-kick delivered from the right, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside. The captain did not have to wait long for a legitimate equaliser. Just before half-time, Thuram and Dimarco combined, and Lautaro finished with a clever backheel to make it 1-1.
That goal carried added weight for the Argentine, whose previous Champions League goal had come nearly a year earlier, on 5 November 2025.
Inter fight back twice but Brugge hold on
Inter began the second half with greater authority. Thuram shot from the edge of the area, while Akanji also looked to trouble the visitors. The clearest opportunity came in the 56th minute, when a loose ball put Lautaro through alone, but the goalkeeper stopped him with his foot.
That save proved pivotal. Inter’s back line began to tire, and Brugge took advantage. A long pass released Forbs, who beat Martínez before Tresoldi arrived to put the visitors back in front with an empty net awaiting him.
Chivu introduced Esposito in search of a response, but Brugge continued to threaten. In the 72nd minute, Potts was set up for a strike only for Martínez to make an excellent save. Two minutes later, however, a poor clearance from Martínez fell to Tresoldi, and the forward completed his treble to establish a 3-1 lead.
Lautaro again refused to accept the outcome. In the 81st minute, Sommer pushed away Sučić’s shot from outside the area, but Inter’s captain was first to the rebound and reduced the deficit to 3-2.
Club Brugge struck again on the counterattack in the 88th minute, with Vermant making it 4-2. Bonny then capitalised on a Brugge defensive error to score Inter’s third, but there was no time left for another recovery.
The final whistle confirmed a 4-3 defeat and a second successive setback in Europe for Inter. Brugge leave Milan with a major away result; Inter face a Champions League week already defined by pressure after defeats at the Bernabéu and San Siro.
