September 17, (THEWILL) – Real Madrid began their UEFA Champions League title defence with a 3-1 victory over VfB Stuttgart at the Santiago Bernabéu. The win extended their unbeaten home record in the competition to 14 matches. Stuttgart, back in the UCL after years of struggles including two relegations, showed early promise but ultimately fell to the 15-time champions.
The match started with Stuttgart applying initial pressure, forcing Thibaut Courtois into three saves within the first 20 minutes. However, Real Madrid soon found their rhythm, with Kylian Mbappé testing Alexander Nübel twice. The first half ended goalless after a VAR review overturned a penalty decision in Real Madrid’s favour.
Real Madrid broke the deadlock immediately after half-time, with Mbappé scoring his first UCL goal for the club. Stuttgart equalised through Deniz Undav, but Antonio Rüdiger restored Real Madrid’s lead with a header against his former team. Endrick, making his UCL debut, sealed the victory with a late counter-attack goal.
Despite the loss, Stuttgart’s performance against the reigning champions was commendable. Sebastian Hoeneß’s team, currently in second place in the Bundesliga, demonstrated they can compete at the highest level of European football.
The result puts Real Madrid in a strong position in their UCL group. Their next match will be crucial as they look to build on this opening victory and progress towards defending their title.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
