Roma 3-4 Real Madrid: Three Corners in Seven Minutes Flip a Match Roma Controlled

Roma led 3-1 in the 83rd minute at the Stadio Olimpico. By the 90th, they had lost 4-3. The gap between those two facts is where the real story of this Champions League night sits — and it is not a story about sustained pressure or territorial dominance. It is a story about corners.

Carlos Espí scored in the 83rd, Endrick in the 85th, and Antonio Rüdiger headed the winner in the 90th.

The raw numbers make the shape of the match clear. Roma had 54 per cent possession and 14 shots to Real Madrid's 16. Roma put seven on target; Real Madrid eight. Big chances were level at three apiece.

The expected-goals split is the most revealing line of the night. Real Madrid's open-play xG was 0.39, against an average of 1.79 across their earlier 2026/27 matches in all competitions. Their set-play xG was 1.45, against an average of 0.2.

Real Madrid also took nine corners, against an average of six across their earlier 2026/27 matches.

Roma's own evening deserves credit before the collapse. Marten de Roon opened in the 20th minute. Kylian Mbappé levelled in the 25th on his 100th Champions League appearance, becoming the youngest player to reach a century of appearances in the competition at 27. Donyell Malen then scored twice after the break — the second confirmed after a VAR review — to put Roma 3-1 up and apparently in command.

There is a broader point about how this result is framed.

The result leaves Real Madrid with six points from two league-phase matches, while Roma sit on one point from two. For a Roma side that led late at home, that is a meaningful early gap.

José Mourinho returned to the Stadio Olimpico, where he previously coached Roma, now in charge of Real Madrid.