Real Madrid started their Champions League campaign with a 3-1 win over Stuttgart.

Despite the scoreline, it was a very difficult game at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Madrid having to suffer in the first-half.

Speaking after the game, Carlo Ancelotti hailed the victory, but admitted his side must also improve.

Ancelotti stated: “We are still trying to find our best version. At times, we did very well. We did not start the game well, we conceded a lot of long balls and they won the duels.

“We scored at the beginning of the second half, we were able to finish the game with some transitions that could have been better.

“The equaliser came and then we had the strength to sacrifice ourselves and win an 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.”

Real Madrid were poor in the first-half against Stuttgart, but managed to improve their game in the second period, and got a 3-1 win, with all four goals coming in the second-half.