Sometimes the final score line doesn't accurately represent what happened in a game and that is the case following Real Madrid's 3-1 win over Stuttgart in their Champions League opener.
In the opening 15-20 minutes, the Bundesliga side was all over the reigning Champions and could have easily been up a couple of goals had it not been for the heroics of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Real Madrid managed to take some control midway through and had a couple of chances of their own. But Stuttgart were nonetheless dangerous whenever they had the ball going forward. The German club is going to look back and lament they were unable to take their chances.
All that dominance from Stuttgart was all for naught as Real Madird opened the score a minute into the second half.
Kylian Mbappe got off the mark in the Champions League after a Stuttgart defender misjudged a pass to Rodrygo. The Brazilian forward ran towards goal and then slipped in the Frenchman who only needed to tap it in.
Kylian Mbappe scores his first #UCL goal as a Real Madrid player 🌟 pic.twitter.com/bGte0K5zfX
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 17, 2024
The goal came as a bit of a relief more than anything given how Real Madrid were outplayed in the first goal. But having taken the lead, it seemed like it would open the floodgates. But that didn't happen.
Stuttgart stuck to their game and eventually found the equalizer in the 68th minute with a header from Deniz Undav off a corner.
Stuttgart doesn’t quit! 😤
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 17, 2024
Deniz Undav’s header finds the far corner and stuns the Bernabéu 💥 pic.twitter.com/LXeSKVwu5a
But Real Madrid's resilience in the Champions League shown through with Antonio Rudiger scoring off a corner in the 83rd minute to give Los Blancos the lead. Endrick put the game to bed in the fifth minute off stoppage time with a long range strike which the Stuttgart keeper should have done better.
The win was anything but easy but Madrid once again pull off an escape act.
"We are still looking for our best version and at times we have done well," Carlo Ancelotti said after the match. "When we scored the game could have been over but after the draw, we had the strength to win a very important game.
"If anyone thinks that winning games is easy, they are wrong. I have coached more than 200 Champions League games and I do not remember any of them without suffering."
The theme of Real Madrid's season so far has been about finding a balance. Ancelotti has yet to find that balance but opposing sides have left them off the hook. It's happened in LaLiga and it happened in the Champions League.
It has cost them points in LaLiga and once they face stronger opponents, those opponents are likely to take advantage of those mistakes. They haven't so far, giving Real Madrid time to sort things out until then.