Real Madrid off to their best start in the UEFA Champions League in the new format

Real Madrid off to their best start in the UEFA Champions League in the new format Real Madrid’s win over AEK Athens was far more complicated than one would have expected, and the hosts gave Los Blancos a stiff challenge for a major part of the night. Athens, in fact, were in the lead twice against Real Madrid, and it took serious belief and grit from Jose Mourinho’s side to turn the deficit around and win with a stoppage-time goal by Federico Valverde. With that win, Real Madrid keep up their perfect record in the UEFA Champions League where they are yet to drop a single point. Now, Mundo Deportivo brings to light how that record is, in fact, special for the club. First time in years Real Madrid beat Athens in a stunning comeback win. (Photo by Milos Bicanski/Getty Images) As brought to light by the Spanish outlet, Real Madrid’s four wins in the UEFA Champions League so far mark the first time they have reached the halfway stage of the league phase with a perfect record since it was introduced. The UEFA Champions League was based on the group-stage format for years, until it was eventually remodelled into a league stage opening in the 2024-25 season. In the two editions of the competition so far, Los Blancos never won their first four games in the league stage, thus making the ongoing campaign their best start to the UCL in the new format. Moreover, it comes as a massive statement from the club as they are the only side alongside PSG to sit on a perfect record, having beaten Inter Milan, Roma, RB Leipzig and AEK Athens. Stories of the past In last season’s UCL, Real Madrid enjoyed a relatively strong start to the competition with three wins in three games against Marseille, Kairat Almaty and Juventus. Mourinho is determined to earn a top-eight finish for Real Madrid. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images) On Matchday four, however, they fell to Liverpool and began to drop points before eventually finishing outside the top eight. The year before that saw Los Blancos struggle even more with the start of European football. They beat Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund, but lost to AC Milan and Lille, thereby winning just two of their first four games. Eventually, they again finished outside the top eight and were forced to play an extra round of fixtures to earn a knockout spot. With a perfect start this time around, Real Madrid will have their eyes set on a top-eight finish at any cost. 16 points has usually proven to be enough, and Real Madrid can secure that with two more wins. The more they win, the higher they finish and the better circumstances they get rewarded with in the knockouts.