Real Madrid stages another comeback with a spectacular goal by Valverde in the 92nd minute
A spectacular goal by the Uruguayan in the 92nd minute rescues a Madrid team that had fallen behind twice, showing a lackluster attitude, and that found new life thanks to Cucurella’s grit, Bellingham’s class, and Fede’s powerful shot
You have to give Mourinho credit: you never get bored watching his team play. Real Madrid relived its Athens nightmare, coming close to disaster for an hour against a beatable opponent. Just like in Rome, the team got overconfident, underestimated AEK, and came within a hair’s breadth of failing to win for the first time in this Champions League campaign. But it has regained that sense of self-confidence that makes it believe no match is impossible. They came back from a 2-1 deficit in the 75th minute and secured the win in stoppage time—the most “Madridista” of moments—with an extraordinary strike by Valverde. 12 out of 12. Statistically flawless.
But let it be noted that a lot of things didn’t work out. Without Güler, the magic is missing. And, above all, Mourinho failed in his attempt to revive Vinicius, who was unrecognizable. He’s not performing and isn’t even trying. Madrid has relied on the Brazilian so many times to turn games around that they’ve had to find new ways out. Cucurella’s grit, Bellingham’s talent, and Valverde’s game-winning strike kept the team’s perfect record in the Champions League intact.
Madrid fell back into its old habits right from the start. Playing at a slow pace and without much defensive effort, the team assumed AEK had little to offer and misjudged the situation. The Greek team came out strong—much stronger than the Whites—and took an early lead. Jovic had a chance after a back pass from the Croatian Majer, a classy player, but Courtois made the save with his left foot. On the second attempt, the former Real Madrid player pivoted, played the ball out to Koita, and the African, after cutting inside, unleashed a left-footed rocket that caught both Courtois and Cucu off guard.
It was reminiscent of the match in Rome where, curiously, the same starting lineup—plus Diomande—took the field. A disjointed team. If you factor in the wrong attitude, defeat is inevitable. It took Madrid a while to wake up, and they did so thanks to Cucurella’s grit. He decided he’d been beaten once but wouldn’t be beaten again. Despite not having Vinicius’s help, he shut down the opposition with the support of the defensive midfielders.
Mourinho threw Vini a lifeline by including him in the starting lineup—he returned as captain—but the gloom lingers. He attempted two dribbles, and Rota stopped him with apparent ease. The Portuguese coach also gave Militao a chance to play, following his very long injury layoff, and Madrid struggled to defend effectively. Camavinga, playing alongside Bernardo for the occasion, helped out in the box during the Greeks’ best attack, orchestrated by Gacinovic, Majer, and Jovic. He beat the Frenchman, and Luka fired a hard shot, but Courtois prevented the score from becoming 0-2.
Cucu’s drive inspired the whole team. First, Bellingham, who spotted the spaces the Greek side was beginning to concede better than anyone else. A goal of his was disallowed after he deflected a shot by Vini following a corner kick; he was offside. Four minutes later, in the 32nd minute, Cucurella cut inside from the wing, delivered a sharp cross for a runner, and Bellingham slotted it in with a backheel to tie the game. After so long emulating Zidane, he scored a goal in the style of Di Stéfano.
Madrid pressed hard before halftime. So much so that the crowd began chanting for Mariani to blow the whistle for the break. They were right. Because after returning from the locker room, the pace dropped again, with AEK sitting deep and Madrid moving the ball slowly. Mbappé stepped in to break the deadlock, bursting down the right flank and delivering a cross back into the box. Cucurella, unmarked, fired a hard shot that Rota, a well-rounded fullback, saved off the line. Shortly after, Kylian dropped back to the edge of the box and aimed for the top corner. It went just wide.
AEK made substitutions early on, more because their best players were tired than for any other reason. Mourinho turned to Excel for his first substitutions. Even though Vini wasn’t getting anything going—and wasn’t even trying—he took Diomande out. And he brought in Bernardo to shore up the double pivot. AEK pushed forward as Madrid’s play fell apart, and Madrid struggled to fall back. And, of course, they were punished. Madrid lost possession on the left flank; Vini froze; Koita pressed forward on the opposite side and sent a cross into the box for fullback Pilos, who finished with a low shot. A disaster. There’s no denying that Madrid reacted quickly, once again with Bellingham as the decisive factor. He played a ball into space for Dumfries, and the Dutchman’s pass was finished by the persistent Mbappé. Mourinho burned his bridges, turning to Espí as his final card. Earlier, he’d brought on Endrick on the right, and he delivered a goal-scoring pass to Kylian. Brignoli deflected it off the crossbar. And in extra time, as so many times before, Madrid knocked out their opponent with an extraordinary, impossible long-range shot. That’s the Madrid we’re seeing now. They’re starting to get back into the habit of winning, even when they play poorly.
