Valverde’s Late Winner Gives Real Madrid 3–2 Victory at AEK Athens
Real Madrid maintained their perfect start to the 2026/27 Champions League league phase with a 3–2 victory at AEK Athens on 4 November, with Federico Valverde deciding a difficult away match in stoppage time.
UEFA’s results confirm Madrid’s fourth win from four fixtures. UEFA’s match summary described a contest in which AEK twice moved ahead before the Spanish side recovered to take all three points.
AEK make Madrid work for the points
Aboubakary Koita gave AEK the lead in the 12th minute, with Jude Bellingham equalising in the 32nd. The home side’s resistance continued after the interval, making this a much tighter assignment than Madrid’s previous 4–1 European win over Leipzig.
The match remained unresolved until the closing stages. Valverde’s stoppage-time intervention ultimately separated the teams, denying AEK a point after a performance that had repeatedly threatened Madrid’s winning run.
Pilios and Mbappé set up a dramatic finish
LaLiga’s published match record places AEK’s second goal in the 75th minute, when Stavros Pilios restored the hosts’ advantage. Kylian Mbappé equalised in the 78th, leaving only three minutes between the Greek side moving back in front and Madrid drawing level again.
UEFA’s account describes Mbappé finishing Denzel Dumfries’ delivery before Valverde struck from distance in added time. LaLiga records the winner at 90+2. The sequence changed a potential home upset into an away victory and explains why the final score alone understates the late swing in the contest.
Four wins establish strong platform
Madrid’s opening sequence also included victories over Inter and Roma. Adding the Athens result leaves them with 12 points at the halfway stage of their eight-match league programme.
The narrow margin is significant alongside that strong points return. Madrid secured the outcome they needed, but the score shows how little separated victory from a dropped-points result on the night.
AEK face another demanding fixture
UEFA’s published calendar lists Madrid’s next Champions League match at home against PSV Eindhoven on 24 November. AEK travel to Como on the same date.
For Madrid, the immediate priority is to carry their winning sequence into the next round. AEK must translate their ability to trouble a leading opponent into points as their own league-phase programme continues.
The Athens match strengthened Madrid’s position, but it did so through a late intervention rather than a comfortable finish. Valverde’s winner preserved the perfect record and supplied the decisive moment of a closely contested European night.
Featured image: illustrative HPW NEWS archive image; it does not depict this specific event.