Real Madrid turned a night of mounting collapse at the Stadio Olimpico into another Champions League escape, recovering from 3-1 down with eight minutes remaining to beat Roma 4-3. It was a result that preserved the old European reflexes of the club, but it also exposed how close José Mourinho’s side came to paying for a disjointed display and a selection that only looked right once the game was already slipping away.
Mourinho returned to Rome, a city where he had once worked, with Vinicius in the starting line-up despite Arda Güler again being left outside the first choice. Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé were immovable, while Diomande’s recent scoring form for Villarreal and his enormous transfer fee made another Vinicius omission politically difficult. The Brazilian will miss Madrid’s next four league fixtures, and his absence may yet give the side a more balanced shape.
Roma, under Gian Piero Gasperini, played with the aggression expected from a team built around three centre-backs, adventurous wing-backs and relentless man-to-man pressure. Nahuel Molina operated on the left, while Paulo Dybala and Soulé supplied craft behind Donyell Malen, the Dutch forward arriving in sharp form. Koné repeatedly won the ball in midfield before later going off injured, and Marten de Roon added authority to Roma’s pressing game.
The Italians drove Madrid back from the opening stages. Mario Hermoso had the first major chance with a shot from the edge of the area, only for Thibaut Courtois to intervene. Madrid’s goalkeeper could do little, however, when De Roon struck from distance and Malen’s deflection changed the flight of the ball. It was a deserved lead for Roma, whose intensity had overwhelmed a Madrid side too willing to wait and too loose without possession.
Malen should then have extended the advantage after a Diomande error, but Courtois prevented him. Madrid’s equaliser came against the pattern of play. Hermoso misjudged a defensive action, Mbappé stole in and his shot took a decisive touch off Gianluca Mancini on its way beyond the goalkeeper. It was Mbappé’s first meaningful involvement, but once again he found a goal when his team needed one.
Madrid briefly improved after drawing level, with Diomande offering their most industrious attacking work and Bellingham going close. Yet the match returned to Roma’s attacking territory before half-time, and Mourinho’s adjustments after the break did not initially solve the deeper problems.
Diomande was switched to the left in an attempt to protect Marc Cucurella, while Vinicius moved to the right. Neither full-back looked comfortable, with Denzel Dumfries also struggling on the opposite side. Vinicius then attempted an unnecessary backheel while Madrid were badly positioned, beginning the sequence that led to Roma’s second. Rodrigo Mora was involved before Malen drove a low shot across goal, with Federico Valverde’s touch preventing Courtois from reaching it.
Mourinho reacted angrily on the touchline and Vinicius was swiftly substituted, but Madrid’s disorder worsened. Soulé found space to slide a pass through to Malen, who finished emphatically for his second of the night. At 3-1, Roma appeared to have punished every weakness in Madrid’s structure.
Madrid’s late reshaping changes the tie’s mood
Only then did Mourinho arrive at a more coherent line-up. Güler entered, Valverde moved to right-back — a role he may occupy more often — and Endrick was introduced on the right. Bernardo Silva and Espí were later sent on as Madrid committed every remaining attacking option.
Gollini denied Mbappé twice as the pressure built, but the final minutes belonged to Madrid’s substitutes and their established Champions League nerve. Espí reduced the deficit, continuing his growing reputation for decisive interventions. Endrick, full of energy after coming on, then levelled the match.
Roma, who had pressed and attacked with conviction for much of the evening, were suddenly defending against a side transformed by urgency. In the closing surge, Güler delivered a corner and Antonio Rüdiger rose to score the winner.
The victory highlighted both the depth of Madrid’s squad and the resilience that has repeatedly carried them through European crises. It also left Mourinho with uncomfortable evidence from Rome: his strongest version of the team emerged only after his original plan had failed, and only after a match that seemed lost had demanded a rescue.
