Carlos Augusto’s late strike lifts 10-man Inter Milan past Shakhtar Donetsk

Inter Milan claimed their first victory in this season’s Champions League by beating Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 at San Siro, despite playing with 10 men for part of a dramatic third-round match.

Alessandro Bastoni’s dismissal left the Italian side facing a difficult finish as they searched for a result that would revive their campaign. However, substitute Carlos Augusto scored in the 77th minute to settle the contest and give Inter Milan a valuable three points.

With the match appearing to be heading towards another goalless draw, Henrikh Mkhitaryan delivered a precise cross into a dangerous area. Carlos Augusto met it with a decisive shot that found the net, sparking celebrations inside Giuseppe Meazza and ending Shakhtar Donetsk’s hopes of taking advantage of their numerical superiority.

The result significantly improved Inter Milan’s position in the league phase table. They had begun the match in 31st place with one point after a disappointing run of results, but moved up to 20th with four points. Their final position will depend on the remaining fixtures in the round.

Shakhtar Donetsk arrived in Milan unbeaten, sitting 14th with five points. Their defeat brought that run to an end and left them on the same total, while they dropped to 17th in the standings. Their winning run also ended at Giuseppe Meazza, despite their numerical advantage during the closing stages.

The victory was particularly important for Inter Milan after they had struggled to make an impact in their opening matches. Their determination after going down to 10 players allowed them to secure a result that had seemed unlikely as the game entered its final quarter.

A video of the goal shared by beIN SPORTS on 21 October 2026 was captioned: “A brilliant ball from Mkhitaryan finds Carlos Augusto, who fires Inter into the lead despite being down to 10 men!”