Gasperini Lamented That Roma Froze in the Defeat Against Real Madrid

Roma let a historic victory slip away against Real Madrid, and Gian Piero Gasperini admitted a mistake

An unexpected blow at the Olympic Stadium

Gian Piero Gasperini expressed his deep discontent after Roma's defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League, a match that seemed completely under control and ended up slipping away dramatically. The coach admitted that "there is enormous regret" after his team let a 3-1 lead slip at the Stadio Olimpico.

Roma had delivered a convincing performance for much of the match, a brace from Donyell Malen had put them 3-1 up, and the team appeared firm and determined. But in just seven minutes, Real Madrid turned the game around with goals from Carlos Espi, Endrick, and Antonio Rüdiger, all from corner kicks. The last one, from the German defender, came in the 90th minute and left the stadium in silence.

Paralysis in the final minutes

The statistical twist was as striking as the football one. With Roma 3-1 up until the 82nd minute, and not counting matches that went to extra time, it is the first time a visiting team has come back from a two-goal deficit so late in a Champions League match. Moreover, it is only the second time that Roma has lost a European match after being two goals up; both occasions were against Madrid, including the 4-2 in 2004.

Gasperini explained that his team "froze in fear" when defending the corners executed by Arda Güler in the final minutes. "They had corners in the first half too, but in the final minutes it was as if we were paralyzed by fear during those corners, they scored too easily," he told Sky Sport Italia and Amazon Prime Video Italia. He also added: "There is enormous regret, because a match played like that should not have ended with that epilogue."

Malen and Soule

Despite the outcome, Gasperini highlighted the positive aspects, Malen, with his two goals, and Matías Soule, the author of two assists. Soule, for his part, became only the second Roma player to assist two goals in a Champions League match.