Valverde’s stoppage-time strike gives Real Madrid 3-2 win at AEK Athens
Federico Valverde struck in the 92nd minute to give Real Madrid a 3-2 victory over AEK Athens at the Agia Sophia Stadium on Wednesday in the Champions League, a match in which Real twice came from behind.
José Mourinho’s side named Vinícius Júnior on the left after the Brazilian served a suspension that kept him out of Madrid’s previous two La Liga matches; the hosts began the game with high energy at their stadium while Madrid entered the fixture on a seven-game winning run across all competitions.
AEK took the lead after 12 minutes when Aboubakary Koïta attacked inside on Marc Cucurella and thumped a near-post finish past Thibaut Courtois; earlier in the move Courtois had produced a save from former Real striker Luka Jovic, and Jovic was denied again as AEK pushed for a strong start.
Real gradually imposed themselves, with Kylian Mbappé firing over and an initial Bellingham effort ruled out for offside before Jude Bellingham equalised with a flicked finish from a low Marc Cucurella cross to beat AEK goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli.
Bernardo Silva and Cucurella tested Brignoli before the interval, and early in the second half Brignoli pushed away a long-range effort from Éder Militão while Lazaros Rota produced a vital block to deny Cucurella; Mbappé bent a shot narrowly wide later in the half, and a Vinícius-created chance was blocked.
AEK reclaimed the lead in the 75th minute when Koïta nudged the ball into Stavros Pilios’s path and Pilios, the Albania international, finished through Courtois’s legs; Real responded immediately as Bellingham found Denzel Dumfries, who rolled a low ball across the six-yard box for Mbappé to finish, his fourth goal in four Champions League games this season and his 16th in all competitions.
Substitute Endrick then sent Mbappé through with five minutes remaining but Brignoli produced a superb save to tip the effort against the crossbar, and Valverde later lashed home across Brignoli in stoppage time to secure the win and preserve Real Madrid’s 100% start in the group phase.
