Real Madrid strengthen Champions League record for late goals

Real Madrid extended their record as the Champions League’s most prolific team in added time after Federico Valverde scored a 3-2 away victory against AEK Athens on Wednesday.

Valverde settled the fourth-matchday fixture with a powerful strike from outside the penalty area in the second minute of stoppage time, completing Real Madrid’s third goal of the evening.

The Uruguay midfielder’s finish means Real Madrid have now scored 49 goals in the 90th minute or later in the history of the competition, excluding extra time.

That statistic was provided by Spanish football statistics journalist Fran Martinez, who identified Real Madrid as the leading side for added-time goals in the tournament.

The result in Greece also continued the club’s long-standing reputation for producing decisive moments at the end of matches. Valverde’s effort came after an otherwise closely contested game in which both sides scored three times.

Valverde among Europe’s leading long-range scorers

Sofascore statistics show Valverde is also among the players to have scored more than 10 goals from outside the penalty area for clubs in Europe’s five major leagues during the past three seasons.

The list is led by his Real Madrid team-mate Kylian Mbappe, who has scored 17 such goals. Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise is second with 15, while Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal has 14.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane and Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu have each scored 12 goals from outside the area during the period.

Valverde completes the six-player list with 11 goals.

The rankings are:

– Kylian Mbappe – 17 goals
– Michael Olise – 15 goals
– Lamine Yamal – 14 goals
– Harry Kane – 12 goals
– Hakan Calhanoglu – 12 goals
– Federico Valverde – 11 goals