Inter Milan revive Champions League hopes with 10-man win over Shakhtar Donetsk

Inter Milan secured their first victory of the Champions League league phase by beating Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 at Giuseppe Meazza, despite playing with 10 men for part of a dramatic third-round encounter. The Italian side appeared to be heading towards another disappointing result after Alessandro Bastoni was sent off, leaving Inter to finish the match a player short.

But substitute Carlos Augusto broke the deadlock in the 77th minute, turning home a precise cross from experienced midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan. His decisive finish sent the home supporters into celebration and earned Inter a valuable three points.

The result came at a crucial stage for Inter, who had collected only one point from their opening two matches and started the game in 31st place. Their victory lifted them to four points and moved them up to 20th in the standings, although their final position will depend on the remaining fixtures in the round.

Shakhtar Donetsk had arrived in Milan unbeaten, with five points from their first two matches and sitting 14th in the table. However, they were unable to make their numerical advantage count in the closing stages and left Italy without adding to their points total.

The Ukrainian club consequently dropped to 17th, while their winning run came to an end at Giuseppe Meazza. A video shared by beIN SPORTS on 21 October 2026 captured Mkhitaryan's delivery finding Carlos Augusto, whose shot put Inter ahead while they were down to 10 players.