Federico Valverde struck in the second minute of stoppage time to give Real Madrid a 3-2 win at AEK Athens in the Champions League. Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé had also scored, after Aboubakary Koïta and Stavros Pilios put the hosts ahead twice.
Athens, Greece: Real Madrid trailed twice in Athens and still found the answer. AEK went ahead in the 12th minute and again in the 75th, but Mbappé equalised three minutes later and Valverde finished it with a shot from the edge of the area deep into stoppage time, 3-2.
Koïta strikes first
AEK started well and went ahead in the 12th minute. Luka Jović played a low pass to Aboubakary Koïta, who took it on his left foot and drove it past Antonio Rüdiger and Marc Cucurella and beyond Thibaut Courtois.
Real Madrid levelled before the interval. Cucurella delivered a low cross in the 32nd minute and Jude Bellingham flicked it past the goalkeeper with a backheel to make it 1-1.
Pilios puts AEK back in front
The second half stayed tense. In the 75th minute Koïta threaded a pass to Stavros Pilios, who fired through Courtois’s legs for 2-1.
Madrid’s reply was quick. In the 78th minute Denzel Dumfries delivered a cross and Kylian Mbappé met it across goal to equalise.
Valverde has the last word
The decisive moment came with the match seemingly heading for a draw. In the second minute of stoppage time Federico Valverde struck from the edge of the box into the top corner for 3-2. Madrid have now won all four of their league-phase games and sit on 12 points, while AEK have three points from four. It was another comeback for Madrid, who had already beaten Racing Santander in La Liga with Mbappé, Bellingham and Diomande scoring inside 36 minutes.
Result: AEK Athens 2, Real Madrid 3 (UEFA Champions League, league phase, Matchday 4, Athens, 4 November 2026; half-time 1-1). AEK: Koïta 12’, Pilios 75’. Real Madrid: Bellingham 32’, Mbappé 78’, Valverde 90’+2.
