Real Madrid comes back from 3-1 down to beat Roma 4-3 in the Champions League

Comeback at the Olimpico

Roma led 3-1 at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday, 14 October, and still lost 4-3 to Real Madrid in the Champions League. Marten de Roon gave the hosts the lead around the 20th minute, and Mbappé equalised about five minutes later with a shot that Mancini deflected past goalkeeper Gollini. Donyell Malen scored twice for Roma, the second in the 57th minute to make it 3-1. Real then scored three times in seven minutes through Carlos Espí (83rd minute), Endrick (85th) and Antonio Rüdiger (90th), and Gasperini said all three came from corners.

Mourinho's return to Rome

José Mourinho, Roma's former coach, received a warm welcome from the Curva Sud, where fans displayed banners and a flag showing his 2022 Conference League title. He waved to the crowd and blew a kiss to his old supporters from the bench, according to ANSA. Roma started the stronger side, with Soulé and Hermoso both testing the Real goalkeeper early on. Roma's Konè went down with a muscle injury after about a quarter of an hour and left the pitch in tears, while Dybala also reported muscular fatigue.

The late collapse

Real were fourth in La Liga, six points behind Barcelona, after defeats at Real Betis and Atlético Madrid, according to The New York Times. They had beaten Inter 2-1 in their opening Champions League match before this win in Rome, giving them six points from two rounds. Mourinho brought on Endrick, Bernardo Silva, Arda Güler, Álvaro Carreras and Carlos Espí, and took off Vinícius Júnior with about half an hour left, when Madrid trailed 3-1. Real's next matches are against Sevilla on Sunday, 18 October, and Leipzig on Wednesday, 21 October, at the Bernabéu.

Post-match row

Mourinho said Roma had been superior in the first half and that his side had struggled to contain Soulé on the flank. He argued that after the 3-1 score everyone considered the game over, and that Roma's players were the ones who had run out of steam, because that level of intensity is hard to sustain. Gasperini rejected the claim that his players were tired and said Roma had frozen in the final stretch. He also blamed his side's defending at corners, while calling Real's set pieces a valid weapon and his team's performance strong. Gasperini said his side had been far superior overall and that the ending was a disappointment.

Madrid's bigger problems

The New York Times argued that Real's problems run deep, pointing to a dressing-room culture that broke into infighting last season and a midfield that has lacked control since Toni Kroos retired in 2024. It also noted that Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Vinícius Júnior have struggled to perform together consistently. Marca, as cited by ANSA, urged Mourinho to make decisions about some players and noted that Vinícius is serving a four-match La Liga suspension. El Confidencial argued that the answers lie with Valverde and Vinícius and that Mourinho must act on them rather than rely on late substitutions.