Real snatched victory over AEK in stoppage time thanks to Valverde — Interia Sport

In the Greek capital of Athens, Real Madrid defeated AEK 3-2 in a fourth-round Champions League match on November 4, 2026. Federico Valverde, who came on as a substitute, scored the decisive goal in stoppage time. The Madrid club claimed its seventh consecutive victory and maintained a perfect record in the current tournament, Interia Sport reports.

AEK took the lead twice

The hosts opened the scoring in the 12th minute: Aboubakary Koita broke into the penalty area and struck the ball into the near corner of Thibaut Courtois' goal. Real responded in the 32nd minute, when Jude Bellingham equalized with a backheel. Earlier, another goal by the Englishman was disallowed for offside.

After the break, the Madrid side had more possession and more shots, but AEK took the lead again in the 75th minute. Stavros Pilios finished a counterattack after a pass from Koita and put the ball through Courtois' legs.

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Real's response and a stoppage-time goal

The Athenians' lead lasted less than three minutes. Denzel Dumfries sent a pass into the six-yard box, and Kylian Mbappe equalized from close range. Near the end of regular time, the Frenchman hit the crossbar.

In stoppage time, Valverde fired a long-range shot that proved to be the winner for Real. AEK finished the match with a man down after Koita was sent off. According to the match statistics, Real had 66% possession and recorded 24 shots compared with nine by their opponents.