Romavs
Real MadridRoma had this. For about thirty minutes of the second half, they genuinely had Real Madrid — the European champions, in the Champions League, on a Roman night — right where they wanted them. Then the final seven minutes happened, and the Stadio Olimpico went quiet.
Real Madrid left with a 4-3 win that felt like it was conjured from nothing, and Roma will be replaying that last quarter-hour for a long time.
The First Half Was a Trade
Roma broke through first. Marten de Roon finished off a Matías Soulé assist in the 20th minute, a clean opener that gave the Olimpico exactly what it wanted. Five minutes later, Real Madrid answered through Kylian Mbappé — set up by Yan Diomande — and just like that, it was level. The half ended 1-1, both sides having made their point, neither pulling clear.
Roma had 54% of the ball and completed passes at 90% accuracy, so they were not sitting back. They were building. And early in the second half, that work paid off.
Malen Takes Over
Donyell Malen was something else in that second half. He put Roma ahead in the 51st minute, converting a Rodrigo Mora assist, then doubled his tally six minutes later off another Soulé pass. Two goals in six minutes. 3-1 Roma. El doblete de Malen had the home crowd believing this was actually going to happen.
For the next twenty-five minutes or so, Roma managed the game reasonably well. Gianluca Mancini picked up a yellow in the 60th minute, Wesley in the 69th, but nothing that disrupted the shape badly. Real Madrid had 16 shots on the night to Roma's 14, but with the scoreline at 3-1, the visitors looked like they were running out of road.
Seven Minutes That Rewrote Everything
Carlos Espí pulled one back in the 83rd. Uncomfortable, but manageable — or so it seemed. Two minutes later, Endrick headed home an Arda Güler delivery to make it 3-3. Then, in the 90th minute, Antonio Rüdiger — a center-back — finished off another Güler assist to complete the turnaround.
¡Ala gran púchica! Three goals in seven minutes, two of them from Güler's boot. The Turkish midfielder came off the bench and immediately became the most important player on the pitch. Lorenzo Pellegrini picked up a frustrated yellow in the 89th, which told you everything about how Roma's bench was feeling as it all unraveled.
Real Madrid hit 16 shots, earned 9 corners, and when it mattered most, they found a level of late-game conviction that Roma simply could not match.
Our pre-match read made Real Madrid the favorite at 50%, and that is exactly how it played out — vindicated, even if the path there looked nothing like anyone expected.
Roma will feel they deserved something from this. Two goals from Malen, creative work from Soulé, the majority of possession — they built a real lead and then watched it disappear in the time it takes to make a coffee. The question now is whether this group can absorb a result like this and keep their Champions League campaign intact, or whether conceding a 3-1 lead at home does lasting damage to the confidence. Cabal, that is the only thing worth watching from this group going forward.
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