Bellingham’s wonder goal no match for dad who just scored seven
Updated . First published at
Jude Bellingham lit up the Champions League with a sublime backheel finish in Real Madrid’s dramatic 3-2 comeback win against AEK Athens.
The England superstar had a goal scrubbed out for offside in the 27th minute, but he would not be denied five minutes later.
Real Madrid celebrate. AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris
The 23-year-old met Marc Cucurella’s low cross with an exquisite left-footed touch that was far too good for AEK goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli.
It completed a prolific week for the Bellinghams, with Jude’s father Mark having scored seven goals in his England over-50s debut in a 13-1 rout of Ireland on Sunday.
But Real, by far the most successful club in the history of the competition, were pushed to the brink at AEK Arena.
Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé had cancelled out goals from Aboubakary Koïta and Stavros Pilios before Koïta was sent off in the 90th minute.
With the score locked at 2-2, Federico Valverde then stepped up to seal the deal with a majestic long-range strike in added time.
Real have won all four of their European matches this season and sit second behind rampant two-time defending champions Paris Saint-Germain on goal difference.
“Of course, I prefer to win more comfortably, but these games in the final minutes - only we can win them,” Real manager Mourinho said.
“The players have courage. I’m very lucky to have players of this quality. Very lucky.”
In Thursday’s (AEDT) other early fixture, Liverpool were handed their first loss of the campaign in a 3-2 defeat away to Fenerbahçe.
Liverpool led twice through Trey Nyoni and Alexander Isak but were undone by defensive lapses.
Fenerbahçe - managed by former Liverpool cult hero Dirk Kuyt - took advantage with goals to Englishmen Mason Greenwood and Archie Brown before Vedat Muriqi’s 79th-minute header proved the difference in Istanbul, the scene of Liverpool’s iconic 2005 victory.
“It’s frustration because it’s a difficult place to come here and to play,” Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola said.
“During most of the game, we were thinking: ‘OK we can win this one.’ But obviously, it hasn’t happened. We conceded, I think, messy goals, especially the first and the third one. The second one is a rebound.
"We have been dealing well with these situations up to today. It has cost us. We have to do better."
In Germany, Erling Haaland’s scored a 78th-minute winner in Manchester City’s 3-2 victory over RB Leipzig.
City led through Castello Lukeba’s 37th-minute own goal as he tried to clear Nico O’Reilly’s cross, but Ridle Baku equalised four minutes after halftime.
Enzo Fernández restored City’s advantage in the 58th minute before Antonio Nusa levelled three minutes later.
Elliot Anderson’s run and low cross then found Haaland, who slid in to finish at the far post.
City are seventh on nine points, six points clear of Leipzig, who are in the elimination places.
Arsenal survived a late scare to beat Slavia Prague 2-1 and move third on 10 points.
First-half goals from Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres put Arsenal in control in Prague.
Wiktor Nowak punished Arsenal’s failure to clear a cross in the final minute, but Slavia remained 34th on one point.
Cesc Fàbregas’s Como scored six second-half goals in France to beat Lens 9-1, with Anastasios Douvikas claiming a hat-trick and an assist as the Italian side followed their 4-1 victory over Manchester United with another emphatic performance.
The winning margin matched Liverpool and Real Madrid’s 8-0 home victories against Besiktas and Malmö as they became only the second team after Bayern Munich to score nine goals in a game.
Como climbed to fourth on nine points.
Nico Paz, Lucas da Cunha, Marc-Oliver Kempf, Mattia Liberali, Martin Baturina and Matteo Papaccioli joined Douvikas on the scoresheet, with Ruben Aguilar replying for Lens.
Porto collected their first points with a 4-1 home victory over Napoli.
Scott McTominay cancelled out Jan Bednarek’s opener before second-half goals from Gabri Veiga, Jakub Kiwior and a Samu Aghehowa penalty secured victory.
Porto is 26th and Napoli 27th, both on three points.
Konstantinos Karetsas scored Borussia Dortmund's 72nd-minute winner in a 2-1 victory over Real Betis after Aitor Ruibal had cancelled out Fabio Silva's opener.
Betis, whose winning start ended, are 11th on nine points, ahead of Dortmund in 12th.
Club Brugge won 2-1 at PSV through goals from Nicolo Tresoldi and Carlos Forbs either side of Kodai Sano's equaliser, while Viking Stavanger beat Sabah 4-1.
- with Reuters
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