Real Madrid defeated Stuttgart 3-1 on Tuesday to begin their Champions League championship defence on a positive note.

It wasn’t easy; two goals in the dying minutes from Antonio Rudiger and Endrick Felipe were required to guarantee the win.

Endrick scored a beautiful goal from 25 yards out, earning praise from many Real Madrid supporters. According to Diario AS, Carlo Ancelotti also gave the 18-year-old kudos for having the guts to take a shot from that position rather than passing it to a teammate who was closer.

“He has balls because he had the guts to shoot in a counterattack.”

Ancelotti also offered his evaluation of the Santiago Bernabeu’s ninety minutes.

It was enjoyable. We’ve experienced hardships, but that’s common. I can’t recall a simple match. You always have to suffer, particularly in the beginning when things are a little more expensive and you don’t have your greatest version. We had the strength to score again, even though the equaliser could have ended the match.