Real Madrid had just seen their escape route close and reopen inside three minutes. Kylian Mbappé was sent through by substitute Endrick with five minutes remaining, only to see his shot tipped onto the crossbar by AEK goalkeeper Brignoli. Moments later Federico Valverde, on as a substitute, took the ball outside the area and lashed it into the top-right corner.

The 92nd-minute strike sealed a 3-2 win in Athens on Wednesday and made it four wins from four for Mourinho’s side in the new league format.

It had looked anything but routine. Aboubakary Koita cut inside Marc Cucurella to thump home at the near post in the 12th minute, with former Madrid striker Luka Jović a constant threat in the build-up. Jude Bellingham levelled in the 32nd, flicking in a low Cucurella cross at the near post.

AEK went back ahead in the 75th minute, when Stavros Pilios ran onto a Koita cutback and slotted through Thibaut Courtois’s legs from close range. Three minutes later Mbappé finished off a Bellingham-to-Denzel Dumfries move, tapping in a low cross from the Dutchman to make it 2-2, and the game broke open for Valverde’s finish.

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Mourinho: “I didn’t ask him to shoot”

“Fede has that capability… (but) I didn’t ask him to shoot. I told him the game was wide open,” Mourinho told Movistar.

Valverde’s own verdict was shorter.

“Sometimes I overthink it, and well, as I always say, I’m grateful to the players,” he said.

Nikolić: “great admiration for Mourinho”

AEK head coach Marko Nikolić praised his players and his opposite number at his post-match press conference.

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“Our approach from the start was to try to win. We didn’t take to the pitch just to manage the game or to make a good impression,” he said.

“I have great admiration for Mourinho. Wherever he goes, he gets results, and he has done so in many countries.”

Madrid and PSG alone on 12

The win left Real Madrid on 12 points, level with Paris Saint-Germain and the only sides with four wins from four in the 36-team league phase. Mourinho’s team sit second on tiebreaker.

The contrast with Istanbul was stark. On the same night, Liverpool twice led at Fenerbahçe only to lose 3-2, Vedat Muriqi settling it in the 79th minute and dropping Liverpool to eighth with nine points.

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