According to a report by BBC Sport on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, Real Madrid produced an impressive late comeback to defeat AEK Athens 3-2, with Federico Valverde scoring a dramatic winning goal in the closing moments of the encounter.

The Spanish giants secured all three points after overcoming a difficult challenge from their opponents, with Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham also getting on the scoresheet. The victory highlighted Real Madrid's determination to fight until the final whistle despite falling behind twice during an entertaining contest.

AEK Athens started the match confidently and took the lead in the 12th minute through Aboubakary Koita. The forward capitalised on an accurate pass from Luka Jovic inside the penalty area before producing a composed finish beyond Thibaut Courtois to put the hosts ahead.

Real Madrid immediately increased their attacking intensity in search of an equaliser. Bellingham appeared to have restored parity in the 28th minute, but his effort was disallowed following a VAR review that established he was in an offside position.

However, the England international eventually found the breakthrough four minutes later. He completed an impressive attacking move with a clever backheel finish after receiving an assist from Marc Cucurella, bringing Real Madrid back into the contest.

Both sides continued creating opportunities before the interval, but neither managed to find another goal, meaning the teams headed into half-time with the score level at 1-1.

Following the restart, Real Madrid maintained their attacking pressure, while Courtois produced an important save to prevent AEK Athens from extending their advantage. Nevertheless, the hosts regained the lead in the 75th minute when Stavro Pilo converted an excellent delivery from Koita.

Real Madrid responded quickly, restoring parity just three minutes later. Mbappe collected a precise pass from Denzel Dumfries inside the penalty area before calmly finishing from close range to make it 2-2.

The French forward nearly completed the comeback in the 86th minute, but his attempt was stopped by the goalkeeper before striking the crossbar.

With the match approaching its conclusion, Valverde delivered the decisive moment in the 90th minute. The midfielder received a pass from Brahim Diaz before unleashing a powerful effort into the bottom-right corner.

His late strike secured a remarkable 3-2 victory for Real Madrid, completing a hard-fought comeback and ensuring the Spanish side left with maximum points.