Real Madrid recover their most dangerous weapon from the Mourinho era

Real Madrid rode to the rescue again in the dying moments under José Mourinho, the fifth time they have done so this season, snatching a precious win on Greek soil through the brilliance of Fede Valverde and that trademark strike of his.

Another comeback, then. The spark came after the hosts made it 2-0 in the 75th minute, an alarm bell that jolted the Real Madrid players awake. From there the Merengue faithful rediscovered that wonderful feeling of killer late victories, earned at the end of a gruelling night.

Spanish newspaper Sport reckon Real Madrid under Mourinho are reviving a footballing legacy that had drifted into a long slumber inside the Santiago Bernabéu: the uncompromising art of the comeback, the knack of snatching victories in the final moments.

Against Espanyol, Elche, Roma and Barcelona, and now the Greek side, the Royal club have pulled off thrilling wins with goals that all arrived from the 87th minute onwards. Ten points plucked from the heart of the impossible in the closing seconds, and with them the competitive fire Florentino Pérez had hoped to rekindle by bringing Mourinho back.

Yesterday added a fresh chapter to the sequence. The Portuguese coach has carried the magic of his European nights into the domestic game.

Reviving this tradition sends a surge of belief through the Royal club's dressing room. Winning when a draw would have been a catastrophe hardens the group's mental resilience.

That spirit filters through the whole squad. The frustration etched on the players' faces at 1-2 down has flipped into a major lift ahead of the trip to Mestalla and the hunt for an eighth straight win.

Guarding this kind of epic is one of the defining features of a big club. Real Madrid under Mourinho keep piling up the wins, seven on the spin now, and the circle of fear around their rivals grows wider by the week. Opponents must be braced to defend every ball until the final whistle or risk being dragged into these thrilling scenarios, the ones that bring joy to those chasing and leave a bitter taste for the other side.

Never give up. Treat no result as settled before the whistle. This is the tradition Mourinho has restored at Real Madrid, and the Portuguese keeps cementing a run of victories that threatens to swallow up every rival in his path.