Real Madrid refused to lie down, twice fighting back to squeeze past AEK Athens 3-2 thanks to Valverde’s dramatic late winner.

Koita gave the hosts a dream start inside 12 minutes, rifling a brilliant left-footed shot past Courtois.

Bellingham responded shortly after the half-hour with a clever flicked finish into the bottom-right corner, leaving it all square at the interval.

Both sides showed plenty of ambition after the restart, though Madrid slowly took control, as underlined by a dominant 3.35 xG to AEK’s 0.87.

However, the Greek champions struck next when Koita teed up Pilios, who slid a calm finish under Courtois to dream of a famous scalp.

That advantage lasted mere minutes before Mbappe capitalised on sloppy defending to bag in his sixth straight Champions League match, dragging Los Blancos level again.

Then came the hammer blow.

With time running out and AEK eyeing a brilliant point, sub Valverde conjured a moment of magic with a thumping long-range effort that beat Brignoli to spark wild celebrations among the visitors.

It was heartbreaking for Nikolic’s men after a spirited performance that proved they can compete for a top-24 spot, but they ultimately fell short against one of Europe’s fiercest sides.

Meanwhile, Madrid draw level with PSG on maximum points after four league fixtures ahead of a LaLiga clash with Valencia.

That wraps up the coverage here – until next time, goodbye!