Donyell Malen will take Roma into Wednesday’s meeting with Real Madrid carrying both regret from Como and a chance to redirect the conversation. His sending-off in the goalless draw was the first red card of an official career now spanning 342 matches, and it arrived in an episode that overshadowed what Gasperini described as a fine game.
The Dutch forward has apologised for the dismissal, which left Roma to protect 0-0 for the final half-hour. The incident has remained under scrutiny: Gasperini argued that Malen had been held before the challenge, while former refereeing chief Gianluca Rocchi maintained that any earlier foul would not automatically have overturned referee Michael Fabbri’s decision.
A ruling from the sporting judge is due on Tuesday, with a one-match ban expected. Malen is set to miss Saturday’s Serie A fixture against Genoa, making the Champions League night at the Olimpico his immediate opportunity to respond on the pitch.
A familiar opponent on a bigger stage
Real Madrid are not unfamiliar to Malen. Their first major meeting came in the Champions League final at Wembley on 1 June 2024, when Borussia Dortmund lost 2-0 to Carlo Ancelotti’s side. Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior scored late on, and Malen entered for the final 15 minutes as Dortmund sought a way back after falling behind.
There was a second encounter on 22 October that year, in the group phase at the Bernabeu. Malen scored and supplied Jamie Gittens as Dortmund built a two-goal lead. Madrid recovered emphatically, however, winning 5-2 through a Vinicius hat-trick, with Antonio Rudiger and Lucas Vazquez also on the scoresheet.
The Olimpico will host the third chapter, and Malen’s first home match against the Spanish club. This time, he arrives not as the adaptable attacking option he had been at Dortmund and Aston Villa, but as Roma’s central reference point.
Roma need their leading scorer
Malen has scored 20 goals in the calendar year, more than any other player in Italy. His absence against Como was felt even though Roma held on for the draw, and Gasperini will expect his striker to return with a clearer purpose against one of Europe’s most decorated sides.
The occasion also brings José Mourinho back to the Olimpico as an opponent, adding another strand to an evening already weighted with European history.
Paulo Dybala has stressed the scale of Roma’s task while pointing to the value of the home crowd.
“It will be difficult. We are facing one of the most successful teams in the world, but the support of our people will give us something extra,” Dybala said.
The match will be shown in Italy by Amazon Prime, whose production team has recently travelled to the Netherlands to trace Malen’s story back to his beginnings. For Roma, though, the more pressing subject is the present: a forward who wants the headlines to return to his goals rather than the red card at Como.
