After Deniz Undav leveled Mbappe’s opener moments into the second half, Antonio Rudiger headed home for the record 15-time champions in the 83rd minute.
Endrick, a different rookie in the Champions League, completed Madrid’s victory in stoppage time with a low drive, as per AFP.
Stuttgart had a more interesting first half, but despite the visitors’ valiant efforts, Carlo Ancelotti’s club has a tendency of grinding out wins when the chips are down, and they still managed to take the three points.
Eder Militao was deemed too injured to play from the start, therefore Ancelotti started full-back Dani Carvajal in central defense, with Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni coming back from injury to play in midfield.
After veteran Toni Kroos retired in the summer, Madrid lacked a certain balance, and the match swayed from end to end under the lights at Santiago Bernabeu.
In the first half, Stuttgart of the Bundesliga, with a large contribution from Enzo Millot, enjoyed greater possession of the ball and the most promising opportunities.
The French midfielder missed an early chance and had Thibaut Courtois tip over his threatening long-range attempt, which was the best of the Belgian’s few stops.
Alexander Nubel stopped two of Mbappe’s attempts on goal as he attempted to score Madrid’s first Champions League goal.
While Maximilian Mittelstadt appeared to catch Rudiger with an awkward swipe, Rodrygo’s effort was narrowly deflected over, and Madrid was given a penalty. However, the referee overturned the judgment after a VAR referral revealed no contact had occurred.
Stuttgart’s efforts were stopped by Courtois, and although Undav struck the crossbar, they were brought to earth at the beginning of the second half.
Mbappe scored his fifth goal for the team, set up selflessly by Rodrygo, just 21 seconds after the break. Many others were still making their way back to their seats from the Bernabeu bars, so it was a case of blink and you’ll miss it.
The former striker for Paris Saint-Germain is as obsessed with lifting the cup as Real Madrid is, even though he was unable to win the top award in the club game while playing in France.
Stuttgart failed to get the notification, and the German side leveled after Vinicius smashed a shot against the crossbar.
After making several quick attempts to get near, Jamie Leweling hooked a corner back into the dangerous area, allowing Undav to go past Courtois.
For the last ten minutes, Ancelotti substituted in 18-year-old Brazilian attacker Endrick in an attempt to win the game and launch the holders’ title defense off to the ideal start.
The goal came in the 83rd minute, but it wasn’t from Madrid’s galactic offensive players. Instead, it came from center-back Rudiger, who nodded in Luka Modric’s corner.
Vinicius squandered a fantastic opportunity to give Madrid the victory, but his countryman Endrick took full most of his one and only chance, finishing with a powerful shot from the edge of the box.
