Real Madrid have beaten AS Roma 4-3 in a Champions League match that appeared lost until a furious late flurry sealed victory on Wednesday night at the Stadio Olimpico — Mourinho's first return to the ground since he was dismissed in January 2024.
Marten de Roon opened the scoring after 20 minutes, only for Kylian Mbappé to draw Madrid level on his 100th Champions League appearance. Donyell Malen then struck twice in a six-minute spell early in the second half to put Roma firmly in control at 3-1, a scoreline that held until the 82nd minute.
What followed was extraordinary. Carlos Espí tapped in on 83 minutes after Endrick's header was saved, and within two minutes the 20-year-old Endrick had headed an Arda Güler corner home to level the scores. There was still time for Antonio Rüdiger — returning to a stadium where he had previously played — to meet another Güler set piece and apply the decisive touch in stoppage time. All three goals stemmed from corners.
Mourinho had made the key moves in the second half, withdrawing Vinícius Júnior on 59 minutes and introducing Endrick alongside Güler. Vinícius had been informed hours before kick-off that Spain's football authorities had handed him a four-match LaLiga ban for pulling an opponent's hair during the previous league win over Villarreal. He told reporters afterwards that he had not understood the substitution and that it was natural to feel angry, though he acknowledged the change had paid off — pointing to Endrick as the standout player of the second half.
Mourinho was candid about his own failings in the first half, taking personal responsibility for Madrid's difficulties. He described spending much of that period in conversation with Aurélien Tchouameni to make the necessary tactical adjustments, and said the team felt more stable once the second half got under way. He was also furious about the timing of the ban announcement, which arrived as his squad were travelling to the stadium. "They do things shamelessly now," he said. "The cat is out of the bag now. Two hours before the match, a player must know he has a four-match suspension. Couldn't they do it now? Couldn't they do it tomorrow morning? Do we have to come by bus and almost arrive at the stadium when we find out?"
One player who drew particular admiration was Roma wing-back Wesley, whom Mourinho said had impressed him even beyond his expectations, making life hard for Vinícius in attack and causing problems when Madrid were defending. Wesley was delighted with the recognition, telling TNT Sports he had simply prayed and repeated to himself that he had to stop Vinícius. He also made clear his disappointment at the result, saying Roma had deserved to win.
The defeat was a bitter blow for Gasperini's side, who had dominated large portions of the contest and lost Manu Koné to injury as early as the 17th minute. Mbappé, at 27, became the youngest player in history to reach 100 appearances in the competition, passing Lionel Messi's previous record, and his goal moved him past Raúl into fifth place on the all-time Champions League scoring list.
Mourinho had been given a warm welcome on his return, with supporters displaying banners in his honour and a lengthy applause greeting his name when the stadium announcer read out the teams. According to Spanish statistician MisterChip, Real Madrid's comeback was the fastest by any away side from two goals down in the tournament's history, accomplished in 7 minutes and 43 seconds, surpassing Liverpool's previous record of 12 minutes and 48 seconds set against Villarreal in May 2022.
Reporting: Football Italia, talkSPORT, World Soccer Talk, ESPN, Guardian, BBC Sport, UEFA (Official), The Athletic, Football España, The Guardian.