Rome delivered another wild European night as Real Madrid recovered from 3-1 down at the Olimpico to beat Roma 4-3, turning a difficult evening into a late celebration with three goals in the final eight minutes.
The news from the club
Madrid arrived with a direct approach, looking early for the pace of Vinicius Junior, Diomande and Kylian Mbappé, while Jude Bellingham was used to protect the midfield. Roma read that plan well, pressing high and forcing the visitors into a defensive contest in which Thibaut Courtois was initially their most important figure.
The home side’s pressure brought its reward after 20 minutes. Marten de Roon struck from distance and the ball clipped Malen on its way through, wrong-footing Courtois for the opening goal.
Real Madrid replied five minutes later with their first effort on target. Mbappé collected possession around the centre circle before shooting from the edge of the area; a deflection off Gianluca Mancini changed the flight beyond Pierluigi Gollini and levelled the score at 1-1.
Roma remained the more forceful side before the interval, although Courtois kept them out again. Madrid offered a threat on the counterattack without creating a clear second chance, taking the draw into half-time.
The Italian side moved ahead again six minutes after the restart. Vinicius lost the ball in midfield and Malen drove into the area before shooting. Federico Valverde attempted a block, but the deflection lifted the ball over Courtois for 2-1.
Malen then appeared to make it three in the 57th minute, only for the assistant referee to raise the flag. A VAR review overturned that initial decision and Roma had a 3-1 lead.
José Mourinho responded by withdrawing Vinicius and Dumfries for Endrick and Arda Güler, with Valverde shifting to right-back as he had done against Villarreal. Bernardo Silva was later introduced alongside Güler in the double pivot as Madrid committed bodies forward.
The comeback began in the 82nd minute through Espí. His strike was first ruled out for offside, but VAR confirmed the goal and reduced the deficit to one.
Madrid’s final surge was built around set pieces. Endrick equalised in the 85th minute and Antonio Rüdiger completed the turnaround on 90 minutes, sealing a 4-3 victory after a match in which the visitors had trailed by two goals with little more than half an hour left.
