Real Madrid leaves Athens with three points that, given how the match unfolded and their sheer significance, are worth far more than an ordinary victory in the Champions League league phase. At the end of a contest that hung in the balance until the very end, José Mourinho's side edged past AEK Athens 3-2 courtesy of Federico Valverde's strike in stoppage time. It was a triumph forged by coming from behind twice following leads from the Greek side, allowing the Spaniards to preserve their flawless European record: four matches, four wins.
For AEK, what remains is the regret of a performance that put one of the continent's heavyweights under sustained pressure for long stretches. The Athens side had found ways to exploit space, absorb the pressure during Madrid's spells of heavy possession, and retake the lead just when an equalizer seemed to have steered the game onto a more predictable course. Then, in the dying minutes, the individual quality that sets Real Madrid apart on Champions League nights came to the fore: Kylian Mbappé restored parity, and Valverde turned the final onslaught into the decisive blow.
Aggressive AEK, Madrid forced to chase
The opening stages at Agia Sophia Stadium were intense and played into the hosts' hands. AEK opted not to sit back, stepping up their tempo and pressing to take the lead in the 12th minute. Aboubakary Koïta finished off a move sparked in part by former Madrid striker Luka Jovic: after shifting the ball onto his left foot, the Mauritanian winger beat Thibaut Courtois with a powerful strike at the near post.
The goal injected further belief into the Greek side, who continued to look for Jovic and Koïta to keep Real away from their penalty box. Courtois was called into action again, while Madrid took several minutes to find their footing in the match. The visitors' response came through Jude Bellingham, the central figure in an impactful evening both for the final scoreline and on a personal level.
The English midfielder had already seen a goal chalked off for offside following a VAR check before netting the equalizer in the 32nd minute. Latching onto a low cross delivered by Marc Cucurella, Bellingham opted for an exquisite first-time flick, a backheel that caught Alberto Brignoli off guard. It was a piece of skill that hauled Madrid back into the contest and shifted the momentum of the first half, which ended with the visitors more composed in possession and asserting a stronger presence in AEK's half.
For Bellingham, the goal is accompanied by two precocity milestones in the Champions League. At 23 years and 128 days, he reached 60 appearances in the competition earlier than anyone else, surpassing the benchmark set by Iker Casillas. Furthermore, he became the youngest player to score in seven consecutive Champions League seasons, ahead of Mbappé. These records reflect the consistency with which the Englishman has been exposed to Europe's top tier, but in Athens, they primarily served a practical purpose: preventing Real from becoming trapped in the stadium's fervor and the opponents' aggression.
The Greeks' second lead and the immediate response
In the second half, Madrid stepped up the pressure. Éder Militão tested Brignoli from distance, Lazaros Rota denied Cucurella, and Mbappé narrowly missed the target with a curling effort. AEK, although forced to defend deeper than in the opening half-hour, stayed in the contest and seized the right moment to regain the lead.
In the 75th minute, Koïta worked the ball well, setting up Stavros Pilios: his run was rewarded with a close-range finish that slipped through Courtois' legs. For AEK, that made it 2-1 and sent a clear message: Real could control possession, but they had not resolved their vulnerability on transitions and defensive reads inside their own box.
Madrid's reply, however, was nearly instantaneous. Bellingham released Denzel Dumfries down the right, who sent a low cross into the box; Mbappé timed his second-wave run perfectly to make it 2-2 in the 78th minute. The Frenchman thus found the net for the fourth consecutive Champions League match, taking his season tally to 16 goals across all competitions.
That equalizer, arriving less than three minutes after AEK had gone ahead again, shifted the emotional weight back onto the hosts. The Greek side had to weather the closing stages against a relentless Real, once more finding a crucial ally in Brignoli. Five minutes from time, Endrick played Mbappé through on goal, but the Italian goalkeeper deflected the Frenchman's attempt onto the crossbar, prolonging the belief that they could hold on for at least a draw.
Valverde and the value of continuity
However, a draw was not Real Madrid's objective. In stoppage time, Valverde picked up the ball at the edge of the box and delivered a pinpoint strike into the top corner, out of Brignoli's reach. The goal sealed a 3-2 win and concluded a match in which Madrid had to draw on their finest resources to overcome an opponent that had approached the fixture with courage.
For Valverde, captaining the side in Athens, it was not merely a spectacular goal. It was the play that preserved a concrete competitive edge in a League Phase where every point impacts table positioning and the path ahead. With 12 points from four matches, Real maintain a perfect record and join Paris Saint-Germain at the top, who also sit on 12 points. The cushion built up in the opening matchdays eases the pressure on upcoming fixtures, without diminishing the race for the highest seeds in the standings.
The victory also reinforces a recent trend: Real have won seven consecutive matches across all competitions and have just navigated two high-voltage European away fixtures. Prior to Athens, Mourinho's side came from behind to defeat Roma 4-3 after trailing 3-1 with seven minutes remaining. Two incidents are not enough to define an identity, but they demonstrate an ability to stay functional amidst match chaos, even when defensive organization has been far from flawless.
The flip side of the coin is precisely this. In Athens, Madrid surrendered the lead twice and had to expend substantial energy to recover. Against well-drilled opponents spurred on by their home support, individual quality can rescue a result; turning comebacks into a habit, however, leaves very narrow margins for error. The coming matches will show whether this winning streak will be matched by greater solidity in the opening phases and stronger protection of the penalty area.
AEK, on the other hand, remain on three points after four games and with the awareness of having narrowly missed out on a result capable of altering their European campaign. Koïta, decisive in both of the Greek side's goals, was sent off after the final whistle for dissent. The incident capped off a bitter evening for the Athens club: a high-level performance, two leads against Real, and zero points in the standings. Madrid move forward with the confidence of a crucial victory; AEK will have to build on the quality shown on the pitch, yet unable to claw back what Valverde's stoppage time took away.
