Real Madrid, managed by José Mourinho, secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over Greek champions AEK Athens at the Agia Sophia Stadium in Athens, Greece, on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, after Federico Valverde scored a stunning stoppage-time winner to preserve the Spanish giants’ 100 per cent record in the UEFA Champions League.
The victory marked Madrid’s fourth consecutive win in the competition’s league phase, taking them to 12 points and keeping them level with defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, who have also won their opening four matches.
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The Spanish side had to produce two comebacks against a determined AEK team, with Aboubakary Koita and Stavros Pilios putting the hosts ahead at different stages before Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé restored parity.
Valverde, introduced as a second-half substitute, eventually settled the contest with a powerful long-range effort in the 92nd minute, completing a memorable night for the visitors.
AEK made an energetic start and took the lead in the 12th minute when Koita cut inside Marc Cucurella before firing past goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois at the near post.
The hosts continued to threaten, with Courtois producing important saves to deny former Real Madrid striker Luka Jović as AEK looked to strengthen their advantage.
Madrid gradually settled into the contest and began to dominate possession, creating opportunities through Mbappé and Bellingham.
Bellingham initially thought he had equalised after finishing from close range, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
The England international eventually found the net in the 32nd minute, producing an impressive flicked finish from Cucurella’s low cross to bring Madrid level at 1-1.
Despite further attacking pressure from both sides, neither team managed to find another goal before the interval.
Madrid returned for the second half with greater attacking intent, with Éder Militão testing AEK goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli from distance before Cucurella and Bernardo Silva created further opportunities.
Mbappé also came close to scoring, bending an effort narrowly wide as the visitors continued searching for the breakthrough.
However, AEK restored their advantage in the 75th minute when Koita provided the assist for Pilios, who finished from close range to make it 2-1.
Madrid responded almost immediately.
Three minutes later, Denzel Dumfries delivered a low cross into the penalty area, allowing Mbappé to finish and bring the visitors level for a second time.
The equaliser was Mbappé’s fourth goal in four Champions League appearances this season and his 16th across all competitions.
With the match heading towards a draw, Madrid continued pressing for a winner.
Substitute Endrick nearly put the visitors ahead, but Brignoli produced an excellent save to divert his effort against the crossbar.
The decisive moment arrived in the 92nd minute when Valverde collected the ball outside the penalty area and unleashed a powerful right-footed strike into the top corner, leaving Brignoli with little chance.
The goal sparked celebrations among the Madrid players and supporters, sealing all three points after an encounter in which AEK had twice threatened to cause an upset.
Speaking after the match, Mourinho explained that he had encouraged Valverde to exploit the open spaces rather than specifically instructing him to attempt a long-range effort.
“Fede has that capability… (but) I didn’t ask him to shoot,” the Real Madrid manager told Movistar.
He explained that the midfielder’s energy and ability to cover ground made him particularly useful in the closing stages.
“I told him was that the game was wide open, it was being played at great speed… a fresh player like Fede, with his ability to cover a lot of ground, I told him to attack the space and arrive in the dangerous areas,” Mourinho said.
The Portuguese manager also praised his players for continuing to pursue victory despite the possibility of settling for a draw.
“We fought for (the victory), and with the score at 2-2 we didn’t settle,” he added.
Valverde, meanwhile, credited his teammates for giving him the confidence to take responsibility in decisive moments.
“Sometimes I overthink it, and well, as I always say, I’m grateful to the players, to my teammates, because they’re the ones who give me the confidence so that, in those moments, I can make that decision and have the courage to hit it,” he said.
The victory extended Madrid’s winning run to seven consecutive matches across all competitions, further strengthening Mourinho’s start to life at the Spanish club.
For AEK, the defeat was a frustrating outcome after twice taking the lead and pushing one of Europe’s most successful clubs to the limit.
The Greek side had entered the encounter seeking their first Champions League league-phase victory after collecting only two points from their opening three matches.
The evening also ended on a difficult note for Koita, who was shown a red card in stoppage time following an apparent act of dissent.
Madrid’s victory keeps them firmly in contention for automatic qualification to the Champions League round of 16, while AEK will need to improve their results in the remaining fixtures to keep their European campaign alive.
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Valverde’s late intervention once again demonstrated Madrid’s ability to find decisive moments under pressure, as the 15-time European champions maintained their perfect start to the competition.
