A thunderous strike from Valverde seals the comeback in Athens

Real Madrid triumphed in Athens with another away comeback in the Champions League, accumulating 12 points out of a possible 12 in the competition. AEK took the lead twice, but our team responded with goals from Bellingham and Mbappé. In added time, Valverde, with a spectacular strike from the edge of the area, secured the victory for Mourinho's team.

The start of the match was quite challenging due to Koita's goal for the hosts in the 12th minute. Five minutes later, Courtois made an excellent save to prevent a second goal from Jovic's shot inside the area. Mourinho's team responded just before the half-hour mark with a goal from Bellingham, but after a review, it was disallowed for offside. From that moment, it was all Real Madrid, who equalized in the 32nd minute with an elegant backheel finish by the English player following a cross from Cucurella. And just before halftime, the 1-2 could have arrived with a header from Bernardo that missed the target by mere centimeters.

Opportunities
Militão also had a chance to score right after coming out of the locker rooms, but his long-range shot was punched away by Brignoli in the 49th minute. An even clearer opportunity came six minutes later. A solo move by Mbappé saw the ball roll across the area, and Cucurella took the shot. Rota prevented the goal on the goal line. As time passed, everything became more complicated in the 75th minute with Pilios' goal.

A new comeback
Our team's reaction was immediate, turning the 2-1 deficit into a tie within two minutes. A great assist from Dumfries on the right allowed Mbappé to tap the ball into the net. This marked the sixth consecutive game where the Frenchman scored, having found the back of the net in all four Champions matches. He could have secured a brace in the 86th minute, but his one-on-one with Brignoli ended in the crossbar after a brilliant save from the goalkeeper. In added time, Valverde sealed the comeback with a spectacular strike from the edge of the area. Another comeback in the Champions League and a perfect record of victories in the competition.

Disclaimer: Translation generated by  intelligence. It may contain inaccuracies.