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ADDS Ancelotti, Mbappe Quotes
Kylian Mbappe scored in his first Champions League appearance for Real Madrid as the defending champions began their defence of the trophy with a 3-1 win over Stuttgart on Tuesday.
Antonio Rüdiger headed the ball into the net for the 15-time record champions in the 83rd minute after Deniz Undav had equalised Mbappé’s lead just seconds into the second half.
Endrick, another Champions League debutant, sealed Madrid’s victory with a low shot in injury time.
Stuttgart had the upper hand in an entertaining opening period, but Carlo Ancelotti’s team have a habit of snatching victories when they are in a tight spot and they took the three points despite an impressive effort from the visitors.
“We had problems at the beginning because we lost a lot of challenges. The most important thing was to win and we won, so everything is good,” said Madrid coach Ancelotti.
“You always have to fight at the beginning of the season when you are not in top form.”
Mbappe has scored five goals in seven appearances in all competitions this season, opening the scoring with a free kick early in the second half.
“I know I can do more. I feel better with every game and now I’m scoring goals. I’m happy here,” Mbappe told Movistar.
“(The game was) tough, but it’s the Champions League – it’s always difficult, but we won at home, we won the first game,” he continued.
“We know that the Champions League has changed and that it is important to win quickly to see whether we can qualify quickly or not.”
Ancelotti chose full-back Dani Carvajal to play in central defence as Eder Militao was not fit enough to start, while Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni returned from injury to play in midfield.
Madrid lacked a certain balance after Toni Kroos retired in the summer and the game fluctuated under the floodlights of the Santiago Bernabeu.
Bundesliga club Stuttgart had more possession and the most dangerous chances in the first half, with Enzo Millot playing a key role.
The French midfielder missed early on, forcing Thibaut Courtois to parry his dangerous long-range shot; the Belgian made the best save of several.
On the other hand, Alexander Nübel had to parry two shots from Mbappé as he went for his first Champions League goal for Madrid.
A shot from Rodrygo took a narrow deflection and Madrid were awarded a penalty after Maximilian Mittelstadt caught Rüdiger with a clumsy punch, but the referee overturned the decision after a VAR review showed there had been no contact.
Courtois denied Angelo Stiller’s shot and Undav hit the crossbar for Stuttgart, but they were brought back down to earth at the start of the second half.
Just 21 seconds after the break, Mbappe found the back of the net after a selfless assist from Rodrygo. It was a blink of an eye and you missed it, and many missed it, still making their way from the bars at the Bernabeu to their seats.
The former Paris Saint-Germain striker failed to win club football’s most prestigious award during his time in France and his desire to lift the trophy is at odds with Madrid’s obsession with winning the title.
Stuttgart did not notice this and after Vinicius hit the crossbar with a shot, the Germans managed to equalize.
Jamie Leweling came close to scoring himself with several attempts before hitting a corner back into the danger area for Undav to head the ball past Courtois.
Ancelotti sent 18-year-old Brazilian striker Endrick onto the field for the final ten minutes to give the defending champions a perfect start.
The goal came quickly, but it did not come from Madrid’s attacking stars, but from central defender Rüdiger, who headed in a corner kick from Luka Modrić in the 83rd minute.
Vinicius missed a golden chance to seal Madrid’s victory, but fellow countryman Endrick made no mistake with his only opportunity, slotting the ball home from the edge of the box at the last second.
The striker refrained from passing to his more experienced teammates and shot early, surprising goalkeeper Nübel.
“He is a boy with a lot of quality and he has shown that,” added Courtois.
“He obviously showed personality by not passing to Vini or Kylian, but by shooting himself.”
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