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ADD Ancelotti, Mbappe quotes

Kylian Mbappe scored on his first Champions League appearance for Real Madrid as the defending champions secured a 3-1 win over Stuttgart on Tuesday.

Antonio Rudiger headed in the 83rd minute for the 15-time champions, a record, after Deniz Undav had scored Mbappé’s opening goal just seconds into the second half.

Endrick, also making his Champions League debut, decided Madrid’s victory with a goal in injury time.

Stuttgart had the better opening game, but Carlo Ancelotti’s team have a habit of winning when the opposition is under pressure. Despite the visitors’ impressive performance, they still took the three points.

“We had a hard time at the beginning because we lost a lot of duels… the most important thing was to win and we did that, so everything is good,” said Madrid coach Ancelotti.

“You always have to fight at the beginning of the season, when you are not at your best.”

Mbappe has scored five times in seven games in all competitions this season, opening the scoring with a free-kick early in the second half.

“I know I can do more, every game I feel better and now I’m scoring goals. I’m happy here,” Mbappé told Movistar.

“(It was) a difficult game, but it’s the Champions League. It’s always difficult, but we won at home, we won the first game,” he continued.

“What we know is that the Champions League has changed and it is important to win quickly to see whether we can qualify quickly or not.”

Ancelotti selected defender Dani Carvajal in central defence as Eder Militao was unfit to start, while Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni returned from injury to play in midfield.

Real Madrid lacked a certain balance after stalwart Toni Kroos retired last summer and the game wobbled from start to finish under the lights of the Santiago Bernabeu.

Bundesliga club Stuttgart had most of the ball possession and the most dangerous chances in the first half, with Enzo Millot playing a key role.

The French midfielder’s early shot went wide, forcing Thibaut Courtois to tip his dangerous long-range effort over in what was the Belgian’s best save in a series of three.

At the other end, Mbappé saw two shots saved by Alexander Nubel as he went in search of his first Champions League goal for Madrid.

Rodrygo saw a shot narrowly go over the bar and Madrid were awarded a penalty when Maximilian Mittelstadt appeared to catch Rudiger with a clumsy movement, but the referee overturned the decision after a VAR referral showed there had been no contact.

Courtois denied Angelo Stiller and Undav hit the bar 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 net, selflessly put in the stands by Rodrygo. It was a blink-and-you-miss-it moment and many did, still making their way back to their seats from the Bernabeu bars.

The former Paris Saint-Germain striker failed to win the club’s biggest prize while playing in France, but his drive to win the trophy matches Madrid’s obsession.

Stuttgart didn’t get the memo and after Vinicius hit the crossbar, the German side levelled.

Jamie Leweling also came close with a number of attempts but then fired the ball into the danger zone, with Undav heading the ball past Courtois.

Ancelotti sent on 18-year-old Brazilian striker Endrick for the final 10 minutes in pursuit of the winning goal, putting the defending champions’ defence on edge.

The goal came quickly, but not from Madrid’s attackers, but from central defender Rudiger, who headed in a corner from Luka Modric in the 83rd minute.

Vinicius missed a golden opportunity to give Madrid victory, but his compatriot Endrick made no mistake with his only chance, firing home from the edge of the penalty area in the dying minutes.

The attacker decided not to pass the ball to his more experienced teammates and fired an early shot, surprising goalkeeper Nubel.

“He is a boy with a lot of quality and he has shown that,” Courtois added.

“He clearly showed his personality by not passing the ball to Vini or Kylian himself and shooting from there.”

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