Real Madrid seal late Champions League comeback as Liverpool lose at Fenerbahce
Real Madrid preserved its perfect Champions League record with a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over AEK Athens at Allwyn Arena. The Spanish side twice fell behind, first to Aboubakary Koita in the opening half and later to Stavros Pilios in the 75th minute. Jude Bellingham equalized before halftime with a deft back-heel finish from Marc Cucurella’s cross, while Kylian Mbappé restored parity just three minutes after Pilios had put AEK ahead. Mbappé then struck the bar before Federico Valverde settled the match with a long-range goal in the 92nd minute.
The result continued Madrid’s habit of producing late Champions League turnarounds. The team had also needed a decisive rally against Roma last month, scoring three times in the final 10 minutes of a 4-3 win. Bellingham was named player of the match and, at 23 years and 128 days, became the youngest player to reach 60 Champions League appearances, surpassing Iker Casillas’ previous mark. Mbappé’s goal was his 16th in 15 appearances this season and extended his scoring run in the competition to six consecutive matches.
Liverpool experienced the opposite outcome in Istanbul, losing 3-2 to Fenerbahce after twice taking the lead. Trey Nyoni and Alexander Isak scored for Liverpool, but Mason Greenwood and Archie Brown equalized before Vedat Muriqi scored the winner in the 89th minute. The defeat ended Liverpool’s 100% start to the competition and followed a Premier League loss to Arsenal.
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