Real Madrid pulled off one of their most thrilling comebacks in recent years, overturning a 3-1 deficit against Roma to secure a dramatic 4-3 victory at the Stadio Olimpico in the second matchday of the Champions League league phase.
The victory came on a special night for José Mourinho, who returned to face the club he managed between 2021 and 2024—and with whom he won the UEFA Conference League—as Real Madrid maintained a perfect record following their 2-1 opening matchday win over Inter Milan.
Roma were the better side early on, opening the scoring through Marten de Roon in the 20th minute with a shot that deflected off Ibrahima Konaté to wrong-foot Thibaut Courtois. However, Kylian Mbappé capitalized on a defensive error just five minutes later to restore parity, his effort brushing Gianluca Mancini on its way into the net.
Donyell Malen then took center stage at the start of the second half, scoring twice in the 51st and 57th minutes to hand Gian Piero Gasperini’s side a well-deserved 3-1 lead, amid clear disarray in Real Madrid’s defense and an inability to contain the Italian attack.
That was the cue for Mourinho to intervene, sending on Endrick and Arda Güler for Vinícius Junior and Denzel Dumfries, before bringing on Bernardo Silva, and later turning to Carlos Espi and Álvaro Carreras in the closing stages—substitutions that completely shifted the momentum into Roma’s half.
Espi halved the deficit in the 83rd minute just moments after his introduction, before Endrick leveled the scores in the 85th minute. Antonio Rüdiger then completed the remontada with a 90th-minute winner, capping a extraordinary spell where the Spanish giants struck three times in just seven minutes, two of them coming via substitutes.
The statistics highlight the chaotic nature of the match rather than outright dominance by either side: Real Madrid held 54% possession and attempted 15 shots compared to Roma’s 14, though the Italian side led in shots on target (8 to 7), forcing Courtois into five saves.
With this victory, Real Madrid settled into eighth place in the league phase table with 6 points and a +2 goal difference, while Roma dropped to 24th with a single point. Domestically, Real Madrid sit third in La Liga on 18 points, trailing Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, while Roma rank third in Serie A with 14 points.
Real Madrid host Sevilla on Sunday, October 18, in La Liga, before facing Leipzig at the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday, October 21, in the Champions League, ahead of their visit to Barcelona for El Clásico on October 25. Vinícius will miss the Sevilla and Barcelona fixtures due to a four-match domestic suspension, but remains eligible for European action.
