AI-generated editorial illustration inspired by an away-day football journey.
Updated: 16 October 2026
Real Madrid beat Stuttgart 3–1 at the Santiago Bernabéu on 17 September 2024. The final score suggests a comfortable start, but the match was still level deep into the second half. For anyone looking back at this European evening, that tension is the key to understanding it.
This report looks back at the completed match from the 2024–25 season.
An opening night in a new format
The encounter was Madrid’s first match in the 2024–25 Champions League league phase. UEFA had replaced the old groups with a single 36-team table, with each club facing eight different opponents. It was therefore a league-phase opener, rather than a group-stage fixture or a knockout tie.
Stuttgart tested Madrid well before the goals arrived. Courtois saved efforts from Enzo Millot and Angelo Stiller, while Undav’s deflected attempt hit the crossbar. The first half ended goalless, but it had contained enough danger to make the goalkeeper’s role clear. Madrid had to survive those chances before turning the match in their favour.
The goals and the late decision
Madrid’s opener came in the first attack after half-time: Rodrygo ran onto a through ball and squared for Mbappé to finish. Undav equalised with a header in the 68th minute. Rüdiger restored Madrid’s lead in the 83rd minute, heading in a corner delivered by Luka Modrić. Those precise moments explain how the score changed from 1–0 to 1–1 and finally 2–1.
Endrick completed the 3–1 score with a long-range strike on a counter-attack in stoppage time. The three Madrid goals came through different routes: a pass across the area, a set piece and a break ending in a shot from distance. Rodrygo and Modrić’s assists belong in the account alongside the names of the scorers.
Other moments that shaped the result
There was another first-half turning point when the referee initially awarded Madrid a penalty after an incident involving Rüdiger. Following a VAR review at the monitor, he reversed the decision. The game therefore reached half-time at 0–0. It is a useful detail when a short highlights package seems to skip abruptly from pressure to the second-half goals.
Mbappé’s finish was his first Champions League goal for Madrid. It shared the evening with Rüdiger’s late header and Endrick’s added-time contribution, so the attacking story was broader than one player’s milestone. Courtois’s earlier saves provided the defensive counterpart: the result depended on interventions at both ends of the pitch.
From the archive to a future visit
Compare this opener with the October 2024 comeback against Dortmund. To arrange a new visit, explore the current match catalogue and check the schedule and details of your chosen event.
Further reading
Use the official Real Madrid report, the UEFA match record and UEFA’s 2024–25 competition guide for the underlying facts.