Real Madrid’s latest Champions League comeback offered Jose Mourinho another reason to praise his squad’s nerve and depth. Madrid beat AEK Athens 3-2 on Wednesday, their second straight European win secured through a late push. Mourinho said he would prefer matches with a more comfortable margin, but sees the team’s belief in difficult moments as central to its ability to turn games around.
His read was that the players keep showing up when the result is in doubt because they trust their own ability. Madrid’s late wins, he argued, come from a combination of courage and quality. “I’m very lucky to have players of this quality,” he said, describing that confidence as something the squad shares.
Madrid’s response mattered as much as the result
Mourinho was pleased with the win, but he made clear that AEK had made it hard to earn. He described the Greek side as compact and direct from the opening minute, with the energy and intensity to disrupt Madrid’s preferred rhythm. AEK, in his view, delivered an exceptional performance and played better than he had seen from them before.
Madrid weren’t at their best, Mourinho acknowledged, but he saw the team stay engaged through the difficult spells. When the match swung against them, his players found a response. At 2-2, neither side appeared content to settle for a point. Both pressed for the win, and Madrid’s individual quality proved decisive in the final minute.
That ending carried a risk. A draw would still have left Madrid with 10 points, Mourinho said, but the team chose to push for more. The victory gave them 12 points, which he said he believed was enough to qualify for the playoffs. The next objective is to collect the remaining points needed to avoid that extra round and the two additional matches it would bring. He estimated Madrid might need another seven or eight points, while noting he wasn’t certain of the precise total.
Squad depth shapes Mourinho’s rotation choices
Madrid’s bench gave Mourinho options as the game opened up, including players who don’t regularly start. He singled out Éder Militão’s performance, saying the defender needed time to find his rhythm before settling into the match. He also pointed to Endrick’s challenge for opposing defenders: facing the forward late in a game can be difficult after an hour of work against another high quality opponent.
For Mourinho, the depth only works if players put the team first. He said he could make changes while the score was 2-2 because he had so many strong alternatives available. His condition was that the squad keep working collectively, without letting individual situations take precedence.
He also described the physical demands of Madrid’s schedule. The team changed five players between Sunday’s match and the trip to Athens. With another match scheduled for Saturday, Mourinho expected to rotate four or five more, naming Dean, Konaté, Tchouameni and Arda among those he had in mind. Two days between matches, combined with travel, made recovery and selection a significant challenge.
Bellingham’s contribution extends beyond goals
Jude Bellingham received some of Mourinho’s strongest praise. The manager called him a unique midfielder, pointing to the range of his contributions: work rate, leadership, ambition, attacking runs and goals. Even on a day when Bellingham isn’t at his best, Mourinho said, he still brings those qualities to the team.
That praise fits Mourinho’s broader view of Madrid’s advantage. His comments after the comeback returned repeatedly to the players’ ability to influence the match in different ways, whether through a late decisive moment or through less visible work during a difficult stretch.
Why Diomande stayed and Vinícius came off
Mourinho rejected the suggestion that Vinícius Jr’s presence had forced Yan Diomande into an unfamiliar role on the right wing. He said Diomande joined Madrid prepared to play on either flank, and that the position itself made little difference to him. Mourinho rated Diomande’s display as acceptable, though short of exceptional, and said Madrid’s team performance also fell below that level.
His substitutions reflected both the state of the match and the next fixture against Valencia. Mourinho said he weighed the result in Athens alongside the need to manage players for Saturday. He mentioned choices involving Diomande, Vinícius, Bernardo, Camavinga and Tchouameni, who he expects to play against Valencia.
Vinícius, in Mourinho’s assessment, had played well. The manager explained that he wanted fresh legs on the left, with Álvaro Carreras able to advance from the flank and Brahim effective through the middle. He also cited Cucurella’s yellow card as part of the substitution context. The changes were about adjusting to an open game and preparing for the next match, he said, rather than a poor performance from Vinícius.
AEK earned Mourinho’s respect
Mourinho gave AEK’s coach special credit, saying the team had been set up differently from its usual approach. He praised AEK’s defending, counterattacks and willingness to play without fear. The home crowd also stood out: Mourinho called the atmosphere extraordinary and said it helped create a demanding match.
He stressed that his assessment wasn’t an attempt to excuse Madrid’s imperfect play. Madrid had studied AEK’s previous matches, and Mourinho believed the Athens side produced its best performance of the season. AEK competed for first and second balls, won duels and repeatedly created dangerous attacks. Even after Madrid made it 2-2, the home team continued to seek a winner instead of retreating to protect the draw.
Other decisions and recognition
Mourinho also addressed Kylian Mbappé’s penalty in a match against Racing. He considered the decision a penalty, while conceding he would have been unhappy if the same call had gone against Madrid. In his view, the decision had no meaningful effect on the result: Madrid could have scored several more goals, and the match wasn’t one in which a refereeing call changed the outcome.
On Rafael Nadal’s place on Real Madrid’s board, Mourinho expressed pride that the tennis great was associated with the club. He described Nadal as a true Madridista and hoped supporters of other teams would continue to admire him.
The clearest takeaway from Mourinho’s post-match comments is that Madrid’s late resilience depends on more than a single star. He credited a deep squad, players willing to work for one another and the confidence to keep attacking under pressure. With Valencia up next and the Champions League qualification picture taking shape, managing that depth will matter as much as the team’s ability to produce another dramatic finish.