Real Madrid got their defence of their Champions League crown off to an unconvincing start, scraping a 3-1 win over Stuttgart at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Stuttgart could have easily had three or four in a dominant first half, but it was Kylian Mbappe who opened the scoring for Madrid just seconds after the break.
Deniz Undav netted a deserved equaliser and it appeared as though Stuttgart’s performance would deliver the point it merited at the very least, only for Antonio Rudiger’s late header to change the tide of the game.
With Stuttgart throwing everything forward, Endrick was on hand to fire home a third with the last kick of the game, creating a scoreline which by no means reflected the true story of the match.
How the game unfolded
Stuttgart made a lively start to the game and forced Thibaut Courtois into a smart save inside four minutes, and Enzo Millot perhaps should have scored soon after. The winger got in behind but could only drag his shot wide.
Kylian Mbappe fired straight at Alexander Nubel as Madrid desperately tried to turn the tide of the game, but Stuttgart kept coming and Courtois once again had to stretch to deny Millot from range.
Courtois could be seen screaming at his porous defence as Stuttgart once again strolled through. This time, the Belgian had to deny Angelo Stiller with Stuttgart’s fourth shot on target inside 20 minutes.
The hosts managed to slow things down temporarily but Stuttgart kept coming and Undav saw a deflected strike loop up on to Courtois’ crossbar and behind for a corner.
Against the run of play, Madrid were awarded a penalty when Antonio Rudiger went down in the box, but a quick VAR check decided there was not enough contact to send the German to the ground and the decision was overruled, ensuring the first half ended goalless – much to Stuttgart’s understandable dismay.
Just seconds after the restart, Madrid were ahead. Rodrygo got in behind and squared for Mbappe, who could hardly miss from six yards out.
Vinicius crashed against the bar from the edge of the box and Stuttgart had to weather a storm, but the Germans finally got the goal they needed as Undav headed home unmarked, with Courtois never given a chance.
The equaliser gave Stuttgart some renewed confidence and the visitors started flying once again, but Rudiger’s header from a smart Luka Modric corner saw Madrid scrape themselves ahead with five minutes to go.
Stuttgart continued to throw everything forwards but were caught on the counter with one last strike from Endrick, whose fizzing effort somehow squeezed through Nubel and into the back of the net.
GK: Thibaut Courtois – 8/10 – Really had to be on it to stop this from getting embarrassing early on. Made several impressive saves and could do nothing about the equaliser.
RB: Lucas Vazquez – 3/10 – All over the shop defensively as Stuttgart came charging at him relentlessly. Looked nervous and was unsurprisingly hooked at the break.
CB: Dani Carvajal – 6/10 – Didn’t possess the positional discipline needed to play centre-back but looked so much more comfortable when he returned to his native right-back in the second half.
CB: Antonio Rudiger – 7/10 – A little scrappy and was caught trying to buy a penalty. Stepped up in the second half and looked happier next to a natural centre-back. A smart header to win the game.
LB: Ferland Mendy – 4/10 – Stuttgart got in behind Mendy time and time again. Offered very little confidence at the back.
DM: Aurelien Tchouameni – 7/10 – Did a decent job of trying to control the tempo and get Madrid into this game. Some smart passes.
CM: Federico Valverde – 6/10 – His usual level of control wasn’t there but Valverde’s effort levels never dropped.
CM: Jude Bellingham – 7/10 – Took a while to get into the game but eventually started playing all the smart passes to get Madrid on top.
RW: Rodrygo – 8/10 – Madrid’s top outfielder in the first half, Rodrygo’s selflessness gifted Mbappe his first Champions League goal of the season.
ST: Kylian Mbappe – 7/10 – Struggled to get things going in the first half but simply could not miss when Rodrygo put it on a plate. Played with confidence after that moment.
LW: Vinicius Junior – 6/10 – Not his best showing. Found space hard to come by and had to take a back seat to Mbappe and Rodrygo.
Substitutes
SUB: Eder Militao (46′ for Vazquez) – 6/10
SUB: Luka Modric (70′ for Tchouameni) – 7/10
SUB: Arda Guler (75′ for Rodrygo) – 6/10
SUB: Fran Garcia (75′ for Mendy) – 6/10
SUB: Endrick (80′ for Bellingham) – 7/10
Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Fran Gonzalez (GK), Jesus Vallejo
Manager
Carlo Ancelotti – 6/10 – A great half-time team talk in an otherwise thoroughly uninspiring showing. Madrid never seemed to have the answers when Stuttgart got going.
Player of the match – Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
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