According to a report by BBC SPORT on Wednesday November 4, 2026, Real Madrid secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over AEK Athens after Federico Valverde scored a late winner in their encounter on Wednesday.

Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham also found the net as the Spanish side came from behind to claim all three points in an entertaining contest.

AEK Athens made a strong start and took the lead in the 12th minute through Aboubakary Koita. The forward received a well-timed pass from Luka Jovic inside the penalty area before calmly curling the ball beyond Thibaut Courtois.

Real Madrid responded by increasing their attacking pressure. Bellingham initially thought he had equalised in the 28th minute, but his effort was ruled out following a VAR review for offside. However, the midfielder eventually got his goal four minutes later after finishing a brilliant attacking move with a clever backheel from Marc Cucurella's assist.

Both teams continued searching for another goal before the half-time whistle, but neither could find a breakthrough as the first half ended 1-1.

Real Madrid maintained their attacking approach after the restart, with Courtois also making an important save to deny an AEK effort. However, the hosts regained the advantage in the 75th minute when Stavro Pilo converted Aboubakary Koita's excellent pass.

Their lead lasted just three minutes as Mbappe restored parity for Real Madrid. The French forward received a precise pass from Denzel Dumfries inside the box before calmly finishing from close range.

Real Madrid continued pushing for a winner, with Mbappe coming close again in the 86th minute. His effort was stopped by the goalkeeper before striking the crossbar.

However, Valverde delivered the decisive moment in the 90th minute, firing a powerful effort into the bottom right corner after receiving a pass from Brahim Diaz. The goal proved decisive as Real Madrid held on to secure a hard-fought 3-2 victory.