Below are the full player ratings for the game:
Thibaut Courtois – 9: Superman – kept Madrid in the game with a series of crucial saves.
Lucas Vazquez – 3: Weak performance, Stuttgart exploited the space behind Lucas several times. Substituted at half-time.
Daniel Carvajal – 5.5: Started the game as a centre-back but was quickly moved back to full-back after half-time. Clearly improved in his natural position.
Antonio Ruediger—8: Scored the opening goal to make it 2-1 with a header after a corner by Luka Modric in the 83rd minute.
Ferland Mendy – 6: Solid defensively, but posed no threat going forward.
Tchouameni – 7: Like much of the team, he had a poor first half but improved significantly in the second, playing a brilliant first through ball to Rodrygo to set up the first goal.
Federico Valverde – 6.5: Started the game as an advanced 8 on the right side of midfield and finished it as a defensive 6 in midfield, performing best in the deeper position.
Jude Bellingham – 8: The Madridistas will be relieved to see Jude back on the pitch. He has had no problems since his injury and was one of the best players on the pitch. He needed more defensive support from his teammates in the left midfield.
Rodrigo – 7: He provided the assist for Kylian Mbappe’s first goal and dribbled smoothly all evening.
Vinicius Junior – 6: Not the Brazilian’s best game, but he still managed three key passes.
Kylian Mbappe – 7: Scored his fifth goal in seven games and his first goal for Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Substitutions:
Luka Modric – 7: Replaced Tchouameni in midfield. In the final minutes of the game, he set up the opening goal with another inch-perfect corner kick.
Arda Guler—6: During some passing sequences, he was unlucky that his teammates did not notice him because he was in a dangerous scoring position.
Fran Garcia – 6: Another solid short appearance in which he posed another threat to the Stuttgart defense with his energy and dynamism.
Endrick – 8: Ancelotti called the teenager brave and said in no uncertain terms that he had “courage” – his goal was an example of that. He scored from nearly 25 yards on a 3v2 counterattack, with Vini and Kylian both options on either side of him. He chose the path less travelled and his confidence was duly rewarded.
