Real Madrid staged a dramatic comeback from two goals down to defeat AS Roma 4-3 at Stadio Olimpico in the UEFA Champions League, extending the hosts’ winless run in European competition to five games (D3, L2).
2026/2027 UEFA Champions League
3-4
Match Report
Antonio Rudiger and Jose Mourinho came back to haunt Roma as Real Madrid scored three goals in seven minutes late on to claim a thrilling 4-3 Champions League win.
Los Blancos were trailing 3-1 before Carlos Espi struck in the 83rd minute.
From there, Endrick and former Roma defender Rudiger completely flipped the script at Stadio Olimpico as Mourinho got one over on his old club.
Roma, encouraged by a roaring home crowd, made a fast start as Matias Soule curled narrowly wide after just 48 seconds before Mario Hermoso's curling effort was tipped away by Thibaut Courtois at full stretch.
Paulo Dybala poked wide from Nahuel Molina's cutback, and though Roma received a blow when Manu Kone was forced off with an injury, they took a deserved lead when Marten de Roon's first-time strike from outside the box was deflected past Courtois in the 20th minute.
However, Madrid equalised against the run of play as Kylian Mbappe, on his 100th Champions League appearance, capitalised on an error from Mario Hermoso before lashing past Pierluigi Gollini, bringing up his 500th goal involvement in club football in the process (378 goals, 122 assists).
Jude Bellingham missed a huge opportunity before half-time, sweeping past the right post, and it looked to be costly when Donyell Malen scored twice in six second-half minutes; he first beat Courtois at the near post after a brilliant pass from Rodrigo Mora, while his second was a routine finish following a clever pass from Soule.
Mbappe had a goal disallowed after the hour-mark, but substitutes Espi and Endrick swung the tide.
Endrick's initial header from a corner was kept out by Gollini, but Espi was on hand to tap in the rebound.
Roma were undone again two minutes later when Endrick headed in unchallenged from Arda Guler's corner, and Rudiger had the final say as he volleyed past Gollini in the 90th minute.
Endrick stakes his claim as Mbappe breaks Messi record
Mourinho was asked about Endrick's lack of minutes in his pre-match press conference and the Portuguese insisted the youngster has a bright future at the club, which was perhaps proven by this cameo.
The Brazilian's two shots proved crucial, with the first leading to Espi's goal and the quickfire second giving Madrid hope of snatching all three points rather than settling for just a point.
While Endrick, Espi and Rudiger will take most of the headlines, it was another substitute in Guler who was the unsung hero. His two assists were crucial as his pinpoint crossing proved to be the difference in the end.
Only Lamine Yamal (40), Michael Olise (36) and Florian Thauvin (33) have created more chances in Europe's top five leagues this season than Guler (31), who will surely regain his starting position in Mourinho's team now.
Endrick, though, will likely have to still settle for a role as a super-sub, given he is behind Mbappe in the pecking order.
Mbappe became the youngest player to reach a century of European Cup/Champions League games, aged 27 years and 298 days, surpassing the record previously held by Lionel Messi (28 years, 84 days in 2015).
The France superstar became the eighth player to mark their 100th appearance in the competition with a goal, and the third to do so while playing for Madrid, after Cristiano Ronaldo in 2014 and Toni Kroos in 2019.
Match Events
20' GOAL! De Roon picks it up in space and fires in a shot that is deflected! Roma 1-0 Real Madrid
25' GOAL! Mbappe powers a crisp strike goalwards that loops into the net! Roma 1-1 Real Madrid
51' GOAL! Malen gathers the ball and slots a low shot into the net! Roma 2-1 Real Madrid
57' GOAL! Malen receives a delightful pass and smashes a shot inside the left post! Roma 3-1 Real Madrid
83' GOAL! Espí gets to a rebound and pulls one back for Los Blancos! Roma 3-2 Real Madrid
85' GOAL! Endrick leaps to meet a corner and plants a powerful header! Roma 3-3 Real Madrid
90' What a turnaround! Rudiger slots the ball in as Guler assists! Roma 3-4 Real Madrid
Line-ups
Roma XI: De Roon, Dybala, Gollini, Hermoso, G. Mancini, Molina, N'Dicka, Malen, Manu Koné, Matías Soulé, Wesley Vinícius França Lima
Subs: Pellegrini, Devis Vásquez, Balerdi, Devyne Rensch, Konstantinos Koulierakis, Daniele Ghilardi, Santiago Castro, Niccolò Pisilli, Rodrigo Mora, Emanuele Lulli, Giorgio De Marzi
Real Madrid XI: Courtois, Rudiger, Dumfries, Cucurella, Mbappe, Valverde, Konate, Tchouameni, Vinicius, Bellingham, Yan Diomande
Subs: Bernardo Silva, Alexander-Arnold, Brahim, Lunin, Camavinga, Güler, Álvaro Carreras, Endrick, Dean Huijsen, Sergio Mestre, Carlos Espí, Thiago Pitarch