Real Madrid has taken the three points at the Olympic Stadium in Rome after achieving, once again, an epic comeback in the last 10 minutes. After losing most of the game, the whites turned the score around after moving the bench and after an exercise in epic and rebellion.
The release of the ball has condemned Real Madrid throughout the match. The Valverde-Tchouameni tandem has not worked and the whites have seen their seams from the first moments. When the fans were taking their seats, Soulé created a shot that skimmed Courtois’ goal.
Just a few minutes later, andThe Belgian goalkeeper had to make the first major interventionafter a shot close to Mario Hermoso’s stick. Things got worse as the minutes passed and Real Madrid was not able to string together two passes in a row. So Roma took advantage of it to get ahead on the scoreboard.
After Malen advanced with the ball, De Roon finished the play with a powerful right hand from the front, that lightly grazed a merengue defender. Roma were able to score the second in the next play, after Courtois lost the ball.
Real Madrid recovered quickly from the blow thanks to a powerful shot from Mbappé. The Frenchman took advantage of a defensive mistake by Mario Hermoso and he hit a right hand that also grazed a defender, just enough so that Gollini couldn’t stop it.
The next few minutes were back and forth for both teams. Cucurella was able to put the whites ahead, but his shot missed the right post, while Malen had the second in his boots. The clearest was for Bellingham in the addedafter a perfect counterattack by Real Madrid that was reminiscent of the old days, but the Englishman’s left-footed shot grazed the post.
The second part began as an Italian dance. Right after starting, Malen put Roma ahead after a loss by Vinicius. Gasperini’s team mounted a perfect counter and Malen’s shot slipped into the net after a slight deflection by Valverde.
A few minutes later, Malen scored his own double after a second loss by Vinicius. The Dutchman was perfectly enabled by the Madrid defense and sealed his personal double after beating Courtois without problems.
At the moment, Mourinho moved the bench and sat Vinicius and Tchouameni to enter Guler and Endrick, but without success. Real Madrid could not finish the plays or disturb the Italian team’s area. The Portuguese coach moved the bench two more times, with the entry of Bernardo Silva, Espí and Carreras.
Mourinho’s idea worked out well because Espí, pure striker, closed the gap on the scoreboard. As a good center forward, he knew perfectly where Endrick’s header was going to land and was attentive to put his foot in and finish. And in the next play it was the Brazilian striker the one who took advantage of Güler’s center to send the ball to the back of the net and tie the game.
They were the dangerous minutes, those that Real Madrid’s rivals fear. And Rome was no less. Once again the Real Madrid of comebacks, again in the 90th minute. This time it was Rüdiger who took the corner in the small area and who saved the furniture of the whites, who were on their way to crashing in the Champions League opener.
