José Mourinho described Roma’s meeting with Real Madrid as a match split sharply in two, with his side controlling the opening period before being overwhelmed by a decisive 20-minute spell from the Spanish club.
Key takeaways
- Mourinho said Roma had been better “in every aspect” during the first half.
- Real Madrid’s response after the interval was too intense for Roma to contain.
- Roma were initially troubled by the use of Matías Soulé in a wide role.
- Mourinho labelled the second goal conceded by Roma as unacceptable at this level.
- He ruled out any prospect of Endrick joining Roma on loan.
A match changed by one relentless spell
For Mourinho, the contest turned on the contrast between Roma’s early authority and the period after the break when Real Madrid found a level his players could no longer match. He felt Roma had imposed themselves completely before the match swung in the visitors’ favour.
“There were two entirely different phases,” Mourinho said. “Roma were superior in every respect in the first part. Then there were 20 minutes when it was impossible to stop Real.”
He identified Soulé’s position on the flank as an early problem for Roma. The wide deployment caught his team off guard and forced adjustments, although Mourinho believed his side had become better prepared to deal with it in the second half.
That improvement did not prevent what he regarded as a costly error. Roma conceded a second goal which Mourinho considered far too soft for a game of this standard, handing Real Madrid further momentum at a point when the home side had expected to be more settled.
Roma’s energy drained at 3-1
Once the score reached 3-1, Mourinho felt the contest appeared finished to everyone watching. More importantly, he believed Roma had exhausted themselves trying to sustain their earlier intensity.
He made substitutions at that stage, arguing that the prospect of conceding a fourth or fifth goal would not have substantially altered the situation. In his assessment, Roma no longer had the physical or tactical resources required to produce another response.
The former Roma coach also addressed Endrick, making clear that the Brazilian forward is not a realistic loan target for the Giallorossi. Mourinho said he knows the player’s qualities, as well as the limits of what he can offer, but dismissed the possibility of a temporary move to the Italian capital.
