Real Madrid staged a spectacular comeback this Wednesday by defeating Roma 3-4 at the Olympic Stadium, thanks to three goals in the last seven minutes, the work of Carlos Espí, Endrick and Antonio Rüdiger. The white team raised a 3-1 deficit with just seven minutes remaining, in a match that the Italian team had dominated for much of the time.
The night had a special meaning for Roma, who were returning to the Champions League at their stadium seven years later. The Italian team is going through a good moment and also experienced the return of José Mourinho, received with applause by the fans when his name sounded over the public address system.
However, Real Madrid once again resorted to its competitive nature in Europe to turn around a match that seemed lost.
Roma struck first
The match began with a warning from Paulo Dybala, who tried his luck from the edge of the area before the first minute was up. Shortly after, Thibaut Courtois had to intervene against shots from Mario Hermoso and Matías Soulé.
Roma came out with intensity and put the merengue team in trouble, despite suffering an injury to Manu Koné in the 16th minute. The midfielder had to leave the field in tears and was replaced by Niccolò Pisilli.
Four minutes later the first goal came. Marten de Roon completed a recovery in the rival field with a powerful shot from outside the area that surprised Courtois and sparked celebration at the Olympic Stadium.
The Italian team came close to extending their advantage with a shot by Donyell Malen that the Belgian goalkeeper managed to clear practically over the goal line.
But Real Madrid found space when Roma advanced their lines. Kylian Mbappé, who was playing his 100th game in the Champions League, took advantage of a ball that Mario Hermoso failed to clear to face the goal. His shot, deflected by Gianluca Mancini, ended up in the back of the net to make it 1-1.
The match was balanced during the last minutes of the first half, with chances for both teams before the break.
Malen brought victory closer to Roma
After the restart, the Italian team once again took the initiative. Dybala’s injury forced the home side’s plans to be modified, as they found greater control of the ball and knew how to exploit the spaces between the lines.
Malen put Roma ahead again with a Vaseline finish against an advanced Courtois. The Dutch striker once again demonstrated his scoring ability and ignited the enthusiasm of the fans.
Roma maintained their pressure and extended the lead with Malen’s second goal, which culminated a one-on-one after a vertical play. The action had to be reviewed by the VAR before the referee confirmed the goal.
With the score at 3-1, the Italian team seemed to have victory in their hands. Real Madrid needed to react and looked for solutions from the bench with the entry of Endrick and Arda Güler.
Three goals for an unforgettable comeback
The white team began to press with greater insistence and even celebrated a goal that was finally annulled. Roma resisted, but the match took an unexpected turn in the final minutes.
With seven minutes remaining, Carlos Espí took advantage of a rebound from goalkeeper Gollini to make it 3-2 and restore hope to Real Madrid.
The goal completely changed the development of the match. The meringues went on the attack and found the tie in the 85th minute, when Endrick culminated the Madrid reaction.
The comeback was completed in the 90th minute. Antonio Rüdiger appeared to score the final 3-4 and unleash the euphoria of the white team, which went from being two goals down to taking the victory in a spectacular outcome.
Roma, who had dominated for a good part of the match and almost won, ended up paying dearly for their inability to contain the Madrid push.
Real Madrid once again demonstrated its ability to compete until the last moment and signed a comeback of the kind that fuels its European legend.
