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Endrick celebrates after scoring Real Madrid’s third goal. (AP Photo)
Endrick’s first ever Champions League goal for Real Madrid left coach Carlo Ancelotti mighty impressed who hailed his ‘courage’ for opting to take the shot himself despite the wealth of available options.
With a world cup winner in Kylian Mbappe to his left and a superstar in Vinicius Junior to his right – both unmarked – 18-year-old Endrick didn’t hesitate one bit as he took a long-range shot in the stoppage time to cap off a superb Champions night for Real Madrid in front of home fans as they swept aside VFB Stuttgart 3-1.
The strike came after Endrick led a counterattack deep inside from his own half and was soon flanked by Mbappe and Vinicius Jr as they sprinted forward. With two hapless Stuttgart defenders scrambling to deny the charging trio, Endrick had the option to either shift the ball to either of his Madrid teammate but instead, he unleashed a low shot with his left foot with Stuttgart goalkeeper Alexander Nübel getting his hands on the ball but failing to keep it out.
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti termed Endrick’s decision to take the shot himself as courageous.
“He has balls!” Ancelotti told Movistar. “Endrick had courage. It was the last move of the game. He was convinced he’d score. He went for the most difficult solution, but it went well. In these two days he’s shown himself to be brave, in every sense.”
Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois quipped, “If he (Endrick) missed, they (Vinicius and Mbappe) would have killed him! But if he has the confidence to shoot, he has a super powerful shot. If he scores, everyone keeps quiet! He’s a boy with a lot of quality. It shows his personality.”
To Endrick, taking the shot himself was the best option. “I had passed the ball to Vini the first time, but then I felt that the best option was to take the shot and it went in,” he said.
By doing so, Endrick thus became the youngest goal scorer for Madrid in the history of Champions League. He surpassed former Madrid great Raul Gonzalez, who was 18 years and 113 days old when he scored a hat trick in Madrid’s 6-1 win against Ferencvarosi in 1995.
