Real Madrid achieved a historic comeback against Roma in the Champions League group stage match, going from 3-1 to 3-4 thanks to the decisive performance of ArdaGüler and the tactical changes of Portuguese coach JoséMourinho. The match, played at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, saw the whites overcome the Italian capital in a two-speed duel, with the second half marked by an “organized rebellion” that, according to Mourinho, was based on a new game model and the hunger for goals from the bench players.
From the start, Mourinho deployed a formation without a natural center forward, placing KylianMbappé in that position and the two pivots Tchouaméni and Valverde in the center of the field. ArdaGüler started the match on the bench, while JudeBellingham seemed lost between widely separated lines, failing to achieve effective combinations. In the first half, Tchouaméni and Valverde dominated the game with 24 and 23 touches respectively, while goalkeeper ThibautCourtois made 41 interventions, almost as many as the two midfielders combined. The players with the least participation were Vinícius and Dumfries, who participated less than the two theoretical players in the center. Roma's first two goals were largely due to Real Madrid's indecision in getting the ball out, with losses in their own half and excessive risk-taking. Vinícius was especially criticized for attempting a backheel in a dangerous area, which provoked reproaches from Mourinho from the sideline.
With 30 minutes of play remaining, Mourinho changed the course of the game by introducing Endrick and Güler. The Turk, who replaced Dumfries, made almost as many passes (27) in half an hour as Valverde (31) in 90 minutes and touched almost as many balls (37) as Tchouaméni (44) in 70 minutes. Güler, upon returning to the field, pushed Valverde to the right back and Madrid finished the game without holding midfielders, with BernardoSilva replacing Tchouaméni and with almost all the available artillery, including Endrick, CarlosEspí, Bellingham and Mbappé.
The three comeback goals came from corner kicks. The first goal was headed by Endrick, who finished off the first ball to generate a rebound that CarlosEspí converted directly. The second goal was completed with a header from Endrick, who finished off the second ball and allowed Espí to score with a header. The third, which sealed the result, was scored by Rüdiger. Mourinho highlighted that the final eleven responded to the context of being focused on the comeback and to Roma's fatigue after the minutes passed. “It is a rebellion in quotes, because it is an organized, emotional rebellion, within a tactical context that has helped us a lot,” explained the coach.
The Portuguese concluded by remembering that, although the initial lineup did not work, the changes he introduced were the ones that turned the game around. "If we go out with those who have finished, they score five. There are moments and moments. I truly thought that in the last 20 minutes I had changes that could do things. Give me a little credit too, I did well," he added. With this victory, Real Madrid advances in the group stage table, while Roma will have to review its offensive strategy to prevent Real Madrid from taking advantage of its intensity again in the final minutes.