Real Madrid survive AEK Athens scare with late winner

Real Madrid left Athens with three Champions League wins from three, but only after a 3-2 escape against AEK Athens FC that went wrong twice before being rescued. Jude Bellingham levelled it in the 32nd minute with a backheel from Marc Cucurella's cross, and Federico Valverde settled it in the 90th+2 minute with a 20-meter strike.

Bellingham's equaliser

Bellingham's finish was the sort of moment that turns a messy away night. SPORT1, in a translated report from German, described it as a "stroke of genius" and a "dream goal", while Marca called it a "performance at world-class level".

He finished with one goal and a match-high 8.2 rating. Real Madrid still needed Valverde's late intervention, but Bellingham's equaliser stopped the game from slipping away before half-time pressure became a bigger problem.

Valverde's decisive finish

Valverde was on the bench when the match began, then came on to deliver the winner in stoppage time. Foot Mercato described the strike as coming in the 90th+2 minute, and it was the kind of finish Madrid have relied on from different players this season.

The team now have three wins from three in the Champions League, and both of the decisive moments came from players who changed the flow of the match rather than the starting line. Valverde's 7.86 rating and Bellingham's 8.2 tell the same story, with Madrid's perfect start preserved at the end of a nervy night.