Valverde rescues Real as Liverpool let lead slip twice to lose at Fenerbahce

In a captivating UEFA Champions League match, Federico Valverde's 92nd-minute goal secured a 3-2 victory for Real Madrid against AEK Athens, despite the Spanish giants' lethargic performance throughout most of the game. AEK Athens took the lead in the 12th minute with a goal from Aboubakary Koita, but Kylian Mbappe equalized for Real Madrid 20 minutes later, through Jude Bellingham.

Stavros Pilios extended AEK's lead with a low shot in the 75th minute, but Mbappe completed his hat-trick with a fourth goal in four Champions League matches to bring the score to 2-2.

The outcome appeared pre-determined for a draw, but Greece's gods were not on AEK Athens' side as Valverde's powerful shot from 25 yards struck home, ending AEK's 18-match unbeaten home record. Real Madrid had won all four of their Champions League matches this season.

In a separate Champions League encounter in Turkey, Fenerbahce staged an incredible comeback to defeat Liverpool 3-2. The Turkish team came from a goal down twice, first through Trey Nyoni and Alexander Isak, but managed to equalize twice via Mason Greenwood and Archie Brown. The match went down to the wire when Vedat Muriqi's header sealed the victory for Fenerbahce, ending Liverpool's hopes of advancing in the competition.