Bellingham says Real Madrid ‘had to fight’ as Valverde strikes late against AEK Athens

Jude Bellingham praised Real Madrid’s resilience after Federico Valverde’s stoppage-time goal secured a 3-2 victory over AEK Athens in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Real Madrid recovered from falling behind against their Greek hosts to claim a valuable win in the fourth round of the league phase.

Bellingham levelled the score in the 32nd minute before Kylian Mbappe put the visitors ahead with a goal in the 78th minute. Valverde then completed the turnaround in the second minute of added time.

“Once again in the Champions League,” Bellingham told Movistar. “It was a great goal from Valverde. We had to fight against a great team like AEK Athens and get the points.”

The England midfielder rejected the suggestion that Real Madrid had been second best during the opening stages, despite AEK Athens scoring twice.

“I think we were completely in control throughout the match,” he said. “They had two good attacks and scored two goals, but I think we controlled the game completely.”

Bellingham also highlighted the collective effort required to take all three points.

“I’m proud of my team-mates,” he added. “We worked hard to get this win. We had possession of the ball and created chances.”

His own goal came after he connected spectacularly with a cross from Marc Cucurella, finishing with his heel.

“It was different,” Bellingham said. “It was a great cross from Cucurella, and I finished it with my heel.”

The midfielder said he was continuing to improve his focus and influence from match to match.

“Yes, I’m playing with greater focus in every game,” he said. “Definitely, I’m playing with greater focus. Things are going well, and I’m developing my performance and influencing the match in many ways. I hope I can continue in this way.”

The result gave Real Madrid a dramatic victory in the Champions League, with Bellingham, Mbappe and Valverde providing the goals in a match that ended with a late decisive strike.