Roma - Real Madrid 3-4 at the Olimpico THE NEWS for the second day of the Champions League championship phase
"The finger raised at the end? It was just a way to celebrate at the end of the match, I couldn't do it towards the South out of respect." José Moruinho said this to Prime Video when analyzing his Real Madrid's victory. "I think we can say that there are two matches in one: one where Roma were superior in every way. Afterwards there were twenty minutes in which it was impossible to stop us - he added -. At 3-1 we were all dead, but for them it was very difficult to play with this intensity for the whole match".
"We stopped at the finish line, we were really passive following a corner kick. We lost a game that we had led." This is how Gian Piero Gasperini comments on Roma's defeat against Real Madrid. "If anyone couldn't take it anymore it seemed to me that it was them - the Giallorossi coach then says in response to Mourinho who in his interview had said how Roma couldn't keep up the pace of the first hour for the entire match -. We outclassed them in everything, it's a shame we didn't score more and it's a shame we conceded goals from a corner. But those are worth it too". To those who ask him if he would make the same choices regarding substitutions he replies yes, while on the injuries of Koné and Dybala the coach gives an initial update: "Manu had a thigh strain, Paulo had a muscle injury, let's see".
THE GOALS
In the 90th minute Roma-REAL MADRID 3-4. Network by Antonio Rüdiger. And Real Madrid turns it around with Rudiger, still developing a corner. Three goals from three corners. Sensational at the Olimpico. Assisted by Arda Güler.
In the 85th minute Roma-REAL MADRID 3-3. Endrick Network. Sensational equalizer for the Blancos who scored again, this time with Endrick's header assisted by Arda Guler. Incredible at the Olimpico.
In the 84th minute Roma-REAL MADRID 3-2. Goal by Carlos Espì. It's all good: the former Valencia striker was in a regular position on Bellingham's previous header and beats Gollini with the goal that reopens everything.
At 58' ROMA-Real Madrid 3-1! Goal by Donyell Malen. The Dutchman was in regular position on Soulé's perfect pass and beat Courtois one-on-one.
In the 51st minute ROMA-Real Madrid 2-1. Donyell Malen's goal. Another Real turnover in their own half. Roma restarts with Rodrigo Mora who places the assist for Malen, a shot deflected by Valverde who mocks Courtois.
At 25' Roma-REAL MADRID 1-1. Kylian Mbappé's goal. Roma came close to doubling their score twice, but Real equalized on the first chance. Missed intervention by Hermoso which favors Mbappé, right-footed from outside, touched by Gianluca Mancini, who mocks Gollini. Immediate draw for Mourinho's team.
At 20 ROMA-Real Madrid 1-0. Marten de Roon's goal. And Roma took the deserved advantage with a right-footed shot from outside by the former Atalanta player who surprised Courtois who didn't see it leave. Assist by Soulé who controls the area and does well to invite de Roon to finish
THE RANKING
RESULTS AND PROGRAM
THE MATCH
(by Vincenzo Piegari)
A two-faced Roma illuminated their first night at the Olimpico in the Champions League for 80 minutes and then sensationally threw themselves away. Against the Real Madrid of the acclaimed former coach Josè Mourinho, Dybala and his teammates exalted themselves by starting very strong with a flurry of dangerous actions before the Eurogoal of the lead scored by the former Atalanta de Roon. Five minutes and the Blancos find the equalizer almost by chance with Mbappè. Rodrigo Mora comes on in the second half and the Giallorossi accelerate again, first finding the 2-1 with a great Malen and then an encore from the Dutchman for the 3-1.
When the match seems over, a one-two comes from a corner kick from the Merengues with Espi and Endrick for the 3-3 and then the goal from the former Rudiger, again from the corner, freezing the Olimpico, closing the match at 4-3 for the Spaniards. Another discordant note for the Giallorossi is Konè's muscle injury, who leaves the pitch in tears, and Dybala's muscle strain. Gasperini launches the challenge to Mourinho's Real Madrid with the Argentine duo Dybala-Soulé supporting Malen in attack. Cristante is still out, de Roon confirmed in his place as well as Ndicka in defense. The Spaniards respond with the Diomandè-Mbappé-Vinicius trident. Arda Guler and Bernardo Silva start from the bench. Play Tchouameni. The Giallorossi started off strong straight away, while the Olimpico celebrated their former coach. Banners in the Curva Sud, a banner depicting him with the Conference won in 2022, and above all many chants for the Portuguese who gets up from the bench, thanks and sends a kiss to his former audience. Soulè tries immediately, coming in from the right and trying a left-footed shot to the far post from the edge of the area: the ball goes out. Shortly afterwards, Hermoso had a great opportunity: the former Atletico player stopped the ball and attempted a left-footed shot from the edge, the Real goalkeeper diving to his right deflected it for a corner.
The Giallorossi continue to push and put Mbappè and his teammates in difficulty, but after a quarter of an hour Konè stops on the ground. The Frenchman collapses during an action, bringing his shirt over his face, making it clear that this is a truly serious problem. Pissilli enters and the Giallorossi accelerate more and more until they find the advantage: Dybala steals the ball on a slide from Tchouameni and starts Roma's action. Malen widens to the right for Soulé, who rewards the Dutchman's arrival on the edge of the area. Powerful and central first right, Courtois is surprised. Once ahead, Roma didn't stop, they almost doubled their lead but they discovered too much and after just 5 minutes they were caught up by Real: an empty intervention by Hermoso allowed Mbappè to advance towards the area and shoot with his right foot from the edge. Mancini's deflection makes the shot uncatchable for Gollini: 1-1. The match slows down with Gasperini's team attacking in spurts with some good opportunities for Malen and Soulè, while in the final moments of the first half it is Real with Bellingham who comes close to taking the lead. In the second half Roma restarted with Rodrigo Mora for Dybala, who remained in the locker room due to a muscle problem. The Portuguese is immediately the protagonist, triggering Malen for the 2-1 goal: a lost ball by Real allows Mora to move into the attacking midfield.
The Portuguese rewards Malen's deep movement with a through ball. Slightly out of the way to the left, the Dutchman attempts a soft touch and is helped by a sliding deflection from Valverde. Courtois overtaken and the Olimpico explodes. Giallorossi on the wings of enthusiasm always forward in search of the 3-1 which arrives almost immediately: Soulè flies into the midfield and catches Malen who, all alone in the area, scores: The French referee Letexier first cancels the goal for offside and then validates it thanks to the intervention of the VAR for the new celebration of the 70 thousand at the Olimpico. Down by two goals, Mourinho's team wakes up and comes close to scoring again with Mbappè stopped by a super Gollini and also by VAR which cancels out the goal of a possible 3-2.
Pellegrini came on for Soulè and Belardi for Mancini who was booked and the Giallorossi put the game to sleep until Espi's goal made it 3-2 which reignited the match in the 83rd minute. From here on Roma disappears and Real equalises first with Endrick and then sensationally scores the winning goal with the former Rudiger: another perfect cross with Guler's left foot, the German hits the ball with his left foot in the small area between Molina and Wesley. He doesn't rejoice and almost apologizes to his former fans who, after believing for 80 minutes in the triumph against the galactic Real Madrid, have to return to the harsh reality of a bad defeat, difficult to digest.
