Real Madrid struggled greatly at AEK’s home stadium, but ultimately managed to secure a 3-2 victory thanks to Valverde’s spectacular goal in stoppage time.
In comments made after the match, José Mourinho praised AEK for their performance, emphasizing that they gave his team a hard time throughout the game, while during the press conference he noted that AEK had put in its best performance of the season and praised Marko Nikolić. “This is
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
a great AEK team. I told Nikolić and Ribalta that I would be honest. AEK played a very impressive game. We struggled, and it’s not that we didn’t play well, but because AEK played a great game. AEK gave us a hard time in every phase of the game. Jović knows how to move on the field,” the Special One said initially, while at the press conference he added:
On the match: “Obviously, I’m happy. However, we played against a tough team that played very well—better than ever. None of the AEK games we analyzed even came close to their performance today. From the very first minute, they were well-organized, with tight defensive lines, direct play, incredible players, tremendous intensity, and strong legs. They’re the reason we didn’t play a perfect game. They played an amazing game.
We, given the difficulties of the match, responded in the tough moments, showed character, and kept pushing for the result. Valverde’s last-minute goal decided the match between two teams that wanted the win. Individual quality made the difference.”
On Edrick and the substitutions: “He came into the game after an hour, when things were tough. There are coaches who make me feel a healthy sense of jealousy, but when I look at my own bench, I have so many options. We have quality on the bench—tremendous quality throughout the entire team.
The players compete solely for the team, putting aside any hard feelings and personal ambitions. Whether they play for one minute or 90, they give it their all. We have a strong team and 12 points. I believe we’ve qualified. Now we need to secure a spot in the top eight to avoid the playoff round. We still need seven to eight points.”
On the substitution of Diomandé and Vinícius: “Vinícius didn’t cause any change on the wing for Diomandé. Diomandé can play on either side; nothing changes for him. Vinícius plays on one side. He had a solid game. It wasn’t the best game of his life, but he lived up to expectations. Right now we have to think about Valencia too, to see who we’ll field. We know there will be changes and that we’ll have Camavinga and Tchouaméni.”
On winning in stoppage time and staying confident until the very end: “It’s not something we’ve only managed once. Of course, I’d prefer to win easily, like we did against Santander, but the feeling is different when you win at the very end. You get a sense of luck, but luck that keeps happening isn’t just luck.
When you win a game essentially against the run of play, that shows the quality of the team. It happens because everyone feels we can pull it off, and everyone gives their all. Carreras and Brahim played a big role in the final. I’m very lucky. I have a tremendous team and tremendous players, with great quality.”
On Bellingham: “He’s a one-of-a-kind player. There’s no one else in modern soccer who’s so well-rounded at every level. I don’t have anything to say; his performance speaks for itself. He plays amazing games, but he’s always working hard. He has great awareness on the field, he’s skilled, he gets into the opponent’s box, and he scores.”
On whether any particular AEK player stood out and a comment on the atmosphere: “An amazing atmosphere—what can I say? It’s very similar to the Turkish atmosphere I’m familiar with. The stadium plays a big role in what happens on the field; Greek teams tend to have worse results on the road, which is why they played so well. I don’t have time to evaluate individual players during a match, but I could talk about the coach; the team was very well organized, they controlled possession, had good counterattacks, and defended well—I must highlight the coach’s role.”
*photo source: AP
