English
Real Madrid secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over AEK Athens in the Champions League on Wednesday, with Federico Valverde scoring a long-range winner in the 92nd minute. Meanwhile, Liverpool suffered a surprise 3-2 defeat to Fenerbahce in Istanbul, ending their perfect record in this season’s competition.
Valverde Saves Madrid Again
Real Madrid found themselves in trouble twice in Greece, falling behind on each occasion before fighting back. AEK Athens took the lead through Aboubakary Koita in the first half. Jude Bellingham then equalized with a brilliant back-heel finish to level the score.
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Stavros Pilios restored AEK’s advantage in the 75th minute, but Kylian Mbappé responded just three minutes later to make it 2-2. Mbappé also struck the crossbar before Valverde fired home from distance in stoppage time to seal the win for the Spanish giants.
Madrid coach Jose Mourinho praised his squad’s mentality after the match. “We won the first game in the last minute,” he told broadcaster Movistar. “Of course, I prefer to win more comfortably, but these games in the final minutes — only we can win them.” He added that his players showed real courage and that he felt fortunate to work with talent of their caliber.
The victory also marked a historic night for Bellingham. At 23 years and 128 days old, he became the youngest player to make 60 Champions League appearances, surpassing former Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas. He had previously held the record for youngest to reach 50 appearances. Bellingham scored in the 32nd minute by connecting with a Marc Cucurella cross and flicking a first-time shot past goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli. “It was just instinct really,” Bellingham said. “I found myself in a good position and managed to do the only thing that came naturally.” He earned the player of the match award for his performance.
Mbappé, meanwhile, extended his Champions League scoring streak to six consecutive matches. The goal also brought his total for the season to 16 in 15 appearances.
Liverpool Collapse in Istanbul
In contrast, Liverpool endured a frustrating night in Turkey. They led twice but could not hold on, eventually losing 3-2 to Fenerbahce. Trey Nyoni gave Liverpool the lead in the first half, and Alexander Isak added another after the break. However, former Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood and Archie Brown leveled for Fenerbahce on each occasion.
Vedat Muriqi then struck the decisive goal in the 89th minute to complete the comeback. The result also extended Liverpool’s losing run to back-to-back defeats across all competitions, following a Premier League loss to Arsenal on Sunday.
Liverpool coach Andoni Iraola pointed to set-piece defending as the key problem. “The main reason I can find for why we lost this game is we conceded from three set pieces,” he said. “We knew it was one of the strengths of Fenerbahce.” He described the defeat as frustrating, noting that Istanbul is a difficult place to play.
