Real Madrid Defeats AEK Athens 3-2 with Late Comeback in Champions League

Real Madrid secured a dramatic 3-2 victory against AEK Athens on Wednesday night in the UEFA Champions League, overcoming a late deficit thanks to a stunning stoppage-time strike from midfielder Federico Valverde. Jose Mourinho's side fell behind twice during the match before completing a vintage European comeback that keeps the Spanish giants perfect in the league phase standings.

The hosts opened the scoring just 12 minutes into the match at the AEK Arena. After shaking off early pressure, Aboubakary Koïta maneuvered past Marc Cucurella and fired a powerful near-post shot past goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to give AEK Athens an early lead. Despite the early setback, Real Madrid gradually worked their way back into the contest.

Jude Bellingham provided the equalizer in the 32nd minute, finishing with a clever backheel after a disallowed goal earlier in the half. The match remained fiercely contested through a scoreless opening portion of the second half until the hosts struck again. In the 75th minute, Koïta set up Stavros Pilios, who restored the lead for AEK Athens and put Real Madrid under immense pressure.

The deficit lasted only three minutes before Kylian Mbappé responded for the visitors. Following a precise pass from Bellingham, Denzel Dumfries squared the ball to Mbappé, who leveled the score at 2-2 in the 78th minute. The game saw further drama when AEK's Koïta received a red card from the referee in the 90th minute, reducing the hosts to ten men.

With seconds remaining in injury time, Valverde unleashed a powerful long-range missile that found the top corner of the net, sealing the hard-fought victory for Los Blancos. The dramatic finish extended Real Madrid's winning streak to seven games and added another memorable European comeback to their recent campaign history.

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois played a vital role in keeping his team within reach during the early stages. Reports noted that without Courtois's strong performance, Real Madrid could have conceded multiple goals before the 20-minute mark. Overall, the squad relied on key contributions from Bellingham, Mbappé, and Valverde to navigate a difficult road fixture in Greece.