Federico Valverde scored a superb winner in stoppage time, helping Real Madrid avoid an upset at AEK Athens and keep their perfect record in this season’s Champions League.
The visitors had trailed with 15 minutes remaining, but Kylian Mbappe equalized before Valverde fired in a long-range strike to secure the three points.
The 15-time European champions had come to Greece hoping to make it four wins from four in the league phase of the competition, yet they fell behind early when Aboubakary Koita drove in a powerful finish.
Jude Bellingham produced a moment of outrageous skill to put Real Madrid ahead in the 32nd minute, cleverly back-heeling a ball across the face of goal into the net.
That goal made him, at 23 years and 128 days, the youngest player ever to score in seven consecutive Champions League seasons, surpassing his team-mate Mbappe.
But AEK Athens kept pushing for a second goal, and it duly arrived 15 minutes from time.
Stavros Pilios first made a goal-saving block to deny Mbappe, then raced the length of the pitch to finish off an attack with a near-post finish.
That looked set to give AEK Athens a famous win, but Mbappe leveled three minutes later at the far post from Denzel Dumfries’ ball before Valverde’s dramatic late strike completed Real Madrid’s comeback victory.
Koita was sent off for AEK Athens after the final whistle as the hosts’ frustration at the result boiled over.
