Federico Valverde produced a breath-taking 92nd-minute winner as Real Madrid beat AEK Athens 3-2 in a UEFA Champions League thriller, ending the hosts’ seven-match winning home run across all competitions.
Jose Mourinho’s side were forced to recover from behind twice in Greece, maintaining their perfect record in Europe this season and stretching their winning streak to seven matches overall.
AEK Strike First in High-Octane Start
AEK Athens entered the contest boasting an formidable home record in European competition, but facing 15-time champions Real Madrid presented a major test. The host team showed no early nerves, creating the opening opportunity when Lovro Majer surged down the left flank and cut the ball back to Mijat Gacinovic, whose low, left-footed effort required a sharp save from Thibaut Courtois’ feet.
The Greek outfit converted their early pressure into an opener shortly after. Aboubakary Koïta cut inside onto his left foot at the edge of the penalty box and unleashed a powerful strike past Courtois at his near post. Former Madrid forward Luka Jovic nearly doubled the lead minutes later, forcing another crucial stop from Courtois.
Madrid thought they had leveled when Vinicius Junior returned a half-cleared corner into the box for Jude Bellingham to turn home, though the midfielder was denied by a close offside call. Bellingham made no mistake shortly after on his 60th Champions League appearance, brilliantly flicking Marc Cucurella’s cross into the bottom corner to restore parity before the break.
Late Drama Unfolds in Stoppage Time
Los Blancos dominated the early stages of the second half. Lazaros Rota produced a crucial goal-line block to deny Cucurella following Kylian Mbappe’s cross, before Mbappe himself twice went close with curling long-range efforts, the second saved by Alberto Brignoli.
Despite absorbing relentless pressure, AEK snatched the lead back 15 minutes from time. Full-back Stavros Pilios, who scored against Manchester City on matchday three, surged forward to sweep home Koïta’s accurate pull-back.
Their celebration lasted less than three minutes. Mbappe found space at the far post to tap home Denzel Dumfries’ precision delivery, scoring in his sixth consecutive Champions League match.
Madrid pushed relentlessly for a winner in the closing moments. Brignoli tipped a fierce Mbappe drive onto the crossbar, but the Italian goalkeeper could do nothing in stoppage time when Valverde unleashed a magnificent 25-yard thunderbolt into the top corner. Koïta received a late red card for dissent, compounding AEK’s heartache after a valiant display.
Man of the Match: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)