Real Madrid were trailing 3-1 to AS Roma when Endrick came off the bench, but the Brazilian headed the equaliser before Antonio Rüdiger completed a remarkable turnaround. Carlos Espí had started the recovery, converting after Güler’s corner to make it 3-2.
Endrick was named player of the match after changing the momentum, although he insisted that helping Madrid win mattered more than individual recognition.
“I still have the emotion of the match. It is a little difficult to explain. I was on the bench talking to God, and when I turned around they were calling me. I carried on talking to God; I did not think I was going to come on so early,” he said.
“I want to help my team and the manager. The most important thing is that Madrid win. When I cannot do that, I will be the first to leave. Being at Madrid is difficult, and I am going to fight for it every day.”
The teenager said the team’s determination had carried them through a match that appeared to be slipping away.
“It is difficult because I was with Mou, I lowered my head and when I lifted it again, Malen had scored another goal. But we are Madrid, we are going to fight in every match, whatever happens. That is what we did, and we will keep fighting. We still have the Champions League, the Copa, the league and all the competitions, and we want to win them.”
Valverde, who again filled in at right-back, was proud of the comeback but felt Madrid had made their task unnecessarily difficult.
“In the first half, I think it was even. Neither team created many chances, but we could not understand the match in the way we had prepared for it. We worked on many things and did not execute them,” he said.
“Then, through rebellion, with the score against us, we started doing what we had worked on: having movement inside, moving forward and looking for one-on-ones.”
The Uruguay international said the late response was encouraging, but warned that Madrid must get their approach right earlier.
“As a player, I am proud that the team has that fighting spirit, but if we had done the work earlier, it would have been a less complicated match and we could have enjoyed it more. We made mistakes of our own, but we knew how to turn things around. Congratulations to the players who came on.”
Valverde also welcomed Endrick’s impact, saying the performance underlined the importance of the whole squad.
“I am happy that he was player of the match. The manager said he needed everyone, and he congratulated us all for our work. It shows that those who play fewer minutes work hard.”
Endrick’s goal and Rüdiger’s late winner rescued Madrid, but both players recognised that their spirit must be matched by greater consistency from the opening whistle.