Real Madrid had to battle hard to walk away with a 3-1 win against VfB Stuttgart in their UEFA Champions League opener at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday night.
Thibaut Courtois and Rodrygo Goes were the undisputed heroes on the night for Real Madrid as both put in starring displays at opposite ends of the pitch to help the team grab a victory.
Courtois came up clutch in goal, making a barrage of crucial saves to keep Stuttgart at bay while Rodrygo made things happen in attack each time he got on the ball and even assisted Kylian Mbappe for the opener.
Antonio Rudiger and Endrick scored late in the game to seal the win, with the latter becoming Real Madrid’s youngest goalscorer in Champions League history.
Rodrygo hails Endrick’s confidence
Speaking to the club media after the game, Rodrygo hailed Endrick’s confidence for taking a shot at goal from 30 yards out when he had Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. flanking him in a 3v2 situation.
“Endrick is crazy (laughs). He did something that nobody would do, but I’m very happy for him and I understand the joy he must be going through,” said Rodrygo.
Meanwhile, the 23-year-old also discussed his own performance and the assist he gave to Mbappe, saying:
“The coach always asks me to attack. Tchouameni gave me the pass, I attacked the back, I went alone, but then I found two markers, I saw Kylian alone and I passed to him.”
There has been a lot of chatter surrounding Rodrygo and his relationship with Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Vinicius Jr. of late. But dismissing all rumours about any ego-clash, the forward said:
“We are getting better every day in training, on a day-to-day basis and we are closer friends. I hope this friendship continues so we can do good things on the pitch. We are improving, there is still a little bit to go and we will get better every game.”
On the team’s performance, he added: “It’s important to win with this shirt and even more so in the Champions League. It was important to start by winning because it gives us confidence. It went well, we won and now we have to keep improving.
“We weren’t playing badly in the first half. The pressing wasn’t good, but the coach ordered us well there.”
Courtois impressed by Endrick
Meanwhile, Courtois, who also spoke to the club media after the game, also highlighted Endrick’s confidence for taking that shot in that situation, saying:
“If he has the confidence to shoot and the power to do it, everyone has to shut up. He has a lot of personality to shoot and not pass the ball to Vini or Kylian.”
The Belgian international, who walked away with the MVP award on the night, assessed the team’s performance, saying:
“Stuttgart are a very attacking team and play well, but they also leave space at the back. In the first 25 minutes, they hurt us, but then we improved and scored a goal.
“Then we didn’t know how to take advantage of counter-attacks and quick transitions, but we reacted well to their goal and won.”
Continuing, he added: “They pressed well. Sometimes we came out well and sometimes we made things difficult for ourselves because we couldn’t find the free man.
“It’s something we have to work on. Starting with a win is very important in this new Champions League format.”
Source: Real Madrid TV
