Federico Valverde's 92nd-minute strike gave Real Madrid a 3-2 win at AEK Athens in the Champions League after they twice came from behind on Wednesday.
Federico Valverde lashed home in the 92nd minute on Wednesday to give Real Madrid a 3-2 win at AEK Athens in the Champions League. Madrid had come from behind twice, and the win keeps their 100% record in the group phase intact.
The Guardian called it "a stunning effort from distance". The match report also leaves no doubt about the rest of the night: this was closer than a perfect record should look.
Twice behind, twice level
AEK started with huge energy at the Agia Sophia Stadium, according to the Guardian, and the early lead was not a surprise. Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois saved well from Luka Jovic, a former Madrid striker, and then Aboubakary Koïta scored in the 12th minute. The winger shifted inside Marc Cucurella and beat Courtois at the near post.
Madrid levelled through Jude Bellingham. Cucurella fired in a low cross and Bellingham produced a flicked finish past goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli. It came shortly after Bellingham had a goal disallowed for offside, so the second attempt was the one that counted.
Before the interval, Cucurella tested Brignoli and Bernardo Silva headed off target. The Guardian says Mourinho's team controlled the game. Control did not turn into a lead.
Early in the second half, Brignoli pushed away a long-range effort from Éder Militão. Lazaros Rota then blocked superbly to deny Cucurella, who was heavily involved all night.
AEK retook the lead in the 75th minute. Koïta nudged the ball into the path of Stavros Pilios, who finished through Courtois's legs from close range. Madrid answered immediately. Bellingham played Denzel Dumfries in down the right, the Netherlands defender rolled a low ball across the six-yard box, and Kylian Mbappé finished to make it 2-2.
The numbers
The figures worth keeping are Madrid's:
- Mbappé's equaliser was his fourth goal in four Champions League games this season and his 16th across all competitions.
- Madrid have now won seven straight games across all competitions.
There is also the one that did not go in. With five minutes left, substitute Endrick sent Mbappé through on goal. Brignoli produced what the Guardian called a sensational save, tipping the strike against the crossbar.
That is the margin of the whole night. Had that shot dipped under the bar, the Valverde goal would be a footnote. Instead the match stayed open, and Madrid had the player who could use the space.
What it means
Valverde "refused to give up on the three points", in the Guardian's words, and lashed home across Brignoli. That is the headline, and it deserves to be one. A shot from distance in stoppage time, with the match level, is not a tactic. It is nerve.
But a manager reads the other column too. José Mourinho's side conceded twice to the Greek champions. Courtois was beaten at the near post and then through the legs. Neither is the kind of goal a team of this standing wants a habit of.
The attack, though, looked healthy. Vinícius Júnior started on the left flank after missing Madrid's previous two La Liga matches through suspension. The report gives no detail on how he played beyond that. Bellingham was involved in the equaliser and in the pass that led to the 2-2. Mbappé scored and nearly scored again. Cucurella supplied the cross for the first Madrid goal and was busy throughout.
The pattern is clear enough: Madrid create, concede, then create again. Seven wins in a row says it works. A 3-2 at the Agia Sophia Stadium says it works with no room to spare.
What to watch
First, the back line. Conceding twice after AEK's energetic start is worth examining, even inside a winning run. The report gives no further defensive detail, so the next few matches will tell us whether this was an off night or a trend.
Second, Mbappé's form. Sixteen goals across all competitions is a serious return, and he has four goals in four Champions League matches this season.
Third, Vinícius in the final third now that his suspension is behind him. His return to the side coincided with a win, but the report offers no stats on his night.
The Guardian's report gives no next fixture for Madrid. Whatever it is, they arrive with a perfect group record and a winning run that has just survived two deficits in Athens.
Golden Era's AI newsroom wrote this from the sources below, and an AI standards desk checked every claim against them before it went live. No human read it before it was published. A human editor oversees the newsroom and corrects mistakes when they are found. Shiv Kearney is a fictional AI reporter. The picture is an AI-generated illustration. How Golden Era works
Sources
Meanwhile at the desk
Luka Jovic forced saves out of Courtois and still left with nothing. Some reunions are just cardio.
Perfect record, imperfect defence. Seven straight wins is the number the board will quote, and the two goals conceded is the one it will hope nobody reads.
