Real Madrid kicked off the defence of their UEFA Champions League (UCL) title with a 3-1 win over VfB Stuttgart at the Santiago Bernabéu, extending their unbeaten home run in this competition to 14 games in the process.
Since 2009/10 and their previous UCL appearances, Stuttgart have twice seen their club relegated and have only enjoyed three Bundesliga top-half finishes.
Under Sebastian Hoeneß, though, they are a different proposition, and after a second-placed finish last term, they are now back amongst the elite. To kick-off with a visit to Real, the 15-time Champions and current holders, only underlines how far they have come.
Los Blancos are perhaps the toughest opposition for any team on the planet, but Stuttgart were in no mood to let the big stage pass them by as they took the game to their hosts early on.
Within the first 20 minutes, they had forced three saves from Thibaut Courtois, while Enzo Millot missed the target altogether when one-on-one with the Belgian. However, it was only a matter of time before Real gained a foothold in the game, and once they did, they had several chances themselves to break the deadlock.
Kylian Mbappé was particularly dangerous, twice testing Alexander Nübel with threatening efforts. The German shot-stopper held Aurélien Tchouaméni’s header from a corner and Maximilian Mittelstädt produced a stunning block to send Rodrygo’s attempt from inside the area over the bar.
Shortly after Deniz Undav’s deflected shot had hit the crossbar at the other end, Carlo Ancelotti’s men were awarded a penalty when Mittelstädt appeared to have kicked Antonio Rüdiger’s foot while attempting to clear. The decision, though, was rightly overturned after referee Halil Umut Meler made a visit to the pitchside monitor and determined there had, in fact, been no contact between the two players.
It often seems Real Madrid are inevitable, and within 30 seconds of the restart, they proved as much. They found the back of the net almost straight from the kick-off, winning possession quickly as Rodrygo laid the ball on a plate for Mbappé to tap in his first UCL goal for the club.
The Frenchman also had a shot saved before Vinícius Júnior hit the crossbar, but Courtois needed to be alert to keep out Jamie Leweling’s low drive as Die Schwaben showed they would not go down without a fight.
That effort was a warning that Real Madrid ultimately did not heed. From a corner that found its way to the back post, an unmarked Leweling crossed for Undav to head home and send the 4,000 travelling Stuttgart into raptures. The majority of the encounter’s remainder was somewhat cagey, but again, Real Madrid did what they always seem to do. From a Luka Modrić corner, Rüdiger headed home against his former club to restore his side’s advantage before substitute Endrick netted on his UCL debut on the counter to secure the three points.
To lose so late on will have been a bitter blow for Hoeneß, but he can be proud of the way his team performed against a Real Madrid side that will expect to go all the way once more.
