Federico Valverde struck in stoppage time to give Real Madrid a dramatic 3-2 Champions League victory at AEK Athens on Wednesday.
Real twice came from behind to maintain its perfect start and sits second on 12 points from four matches, behind Paris Saint-Germain on goal difference.
AEK threatened from the outset and its early pressure was rewarded in the 12th minute when Aboubakary Koita cut inside and fired into the top corner from just inside the box.
Thibaut Courtois denied Luka Jovic before Jude Bellingham, who had an effort ruled out for offside in the 27th minute, equalised five minutes later with a deft backheel from Marc Cucurella’s low cross.
Koita’s driving run and pass set up Stavros Pilios to restore AEK’s lead in the 75th minute, his low shot going through Courtois’ legs.
Kylian Mbappe tapped in Denzel Dumfries’ cross three minutes later before Valverde delivered the winner, leaving AEK 29th on three points.
AEK Athens vs Real Madrid
AEK Athens: Brignoli – 7.2, Rota – 5.9, Moukoudi – 6.0, Relvas – 5.5, Pilios – 7.0, Koïta – 7.6, Arriaga – 6.7, Kairinen – 6.1, Majer – 7.2, Gaćinović – 7.2, Jović – 7.2
Substitutes: Zine – 7.0, Marin – 6.0, Varga – 6.3, Zubkov – NA
Real Madrid: Mbappé – 8.3, Vinicius – 6.8, Bellingham – 8.6, Diomande – 7.6, Camavinga – 8.1, Silva – 7.8, Cucurella – 8.1, Rüdiger – 6.9, Militao – 7.5, Dumfries – 7.2, Courtois – 6.1
Substitutes: Valverde – 8.0, Endrick – 6.4, Brahim Díaz – NA, Carreras – NA, Espí – NA
(With Reuters inputs; Ratings from Fotmob)
Published on Nov 05, 2026