Real Madrid defeats AEK Athens 3-2; Liverpool loses to Fenerbahce
Federico Valverde scored a stoppage-time winner for Madrid, while Vedat Muriqi sealed a 3-2 upset victory for Fenerbahce against Liverpool.
By Robert Ward ·
Real Madrid defeated AEK Athens 3-2 on Wednesday in a Champions League match in Greece. Federico Valverde secured the result with a long-range shot in the second minute of stoppage time. The win preserved the Spanish club's perfect record in this season's competition. Madrid had trailed twice during the match, mirroring a similar 4-3 comeback victory over Roma in the previous month.
Jude Bellingham equalized the score with a backheel pass after Aboubakary Koita gave AEK Athens the lead in the first half. Stavros Pilios restored the home team's advantage in the 75th minute. Kylian Mbappe responded three minutes later to tie the game at 2-2. Mbappe subsequently hit the crossbar before Valverde provided the decisive goal.
Liverpool suffered a 3-2 loss to Fenerbahce in Istanbul, ending its unbeaten start to the campaign. The defeat marks Liverpool's first loss in this season's Champions League. The team had previously won all its opening matches in the tournament.
Trey Nyoni and Alexander Isak scored goals in each half to put Liverpool ahead. Mason Greenwood and Archie Brown both leveled the score for Fenerbahce. Vedat Muriqi struck the winning goal in the 89th minute to complete the comeback.
The result extends Liverpool's losing streak to two consecutive games across all competitions. The club dropped a 1-0 decision to Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday. Fenerbahce's victory in Istanbul concludes a day of late-game upsets in European football.
