Roma vs Real Madrid ends 4-3 after three late corner goals
Key takeaways
- Real Madrid beat Roma 4-3 at the Stadio Olimpico on October 14, 2026.
- Madrid scored three goals from corner kicks in the last eight minutes.
- Roma led 3-1 with ten minutes left and still lost the game.
Real Madrid beat Roma 4-3 on Wednesday. The game was at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Roma led 3-1 with ten minutes left.
Madrid then scored three goals from corner kicks. All three came in the last eight minutes. It was one of the wildest finishes of the season.
What happened
Roma started strong. Marten de Roon scored in the 20th minute. His shot took a deflection.
It wrong-footed Thibaut Courtois. Roma led 1-0. Real Madrid hit back fast. Kylian Mbappe scored in the 25th minute.
His shot also took a deflection. The score was 1-1 at half time.
The second half belonged to Roma at first. Donyell Malen scored in the 51st minute. He scored again in the 58th minute.
Roma led 3-1. The home crowd went wild. Roma looked set for a big win.
Then the corners started. Carlos Espi pulled one back in the 83rd minute. The corner was played short.
Roma goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini pushed the ball into Espi's path. Espi knocked it in. The score was 3-2.
Endrick made it 3-3 in the 85th minute. He headed a corner straight into the net. Roma had no answer.
Antonio Rudiger scored the winner in the 90th minute. He used his right foot to snap the ball past Gollini. It was another corner.
Roma had thrown away a two-goal lead.
Mbappe's goal was a landmark. It came on his 100th Champions League appearance, according to DAWN. The goal moved him to fifth on the all-time Champions League scoring list, according to USA TODAY.
It was a big night for him too.
The game was Roma's first home Champions League match in more than seven years. It was also a reunion. Jose Mourinho used to coach Roma.
He led Roma to the Conference League title. Now he coaches Real Madrid. The home crowd honored him before the game.
They showed banners and sang his name.
Why it matters
The result shapes the early table. The Champions League uses one big table with 36 teams. The top eight teams go straight to the round of 16. Real Madrid have now won both of their games.
They have six points. They sit in the top eight. Roma have one point.
They sit in 25th place. Roma must now climb the table.
The way Roma lost matters more than the score. Roma gave up three goals from corners. All three came in eight minutes.
Set plays are a known weak spot. A corner is a set play. Roma failed to defend them late in the game.
Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini spoke about it after the game. He said his team looked frozen with fear on those corners. He said the team scored too easily against Roma at the end.
Mourinho had a different view. He said Roma looked dead in the closing stages. Gasperini pushed back.
He said his team outplayed Madrid in most parts of the game. He said Madrid scored only from corners. Both men saw the same finish.
Madrid were ruthless from set plays. Roma were passive.
The loss also hurts Roma's mood. Roma played well for 80 minutes. They led the 15-time European champions by two goals.
They still lost. That kind of loss can shake a team. Gasperini said his team must build on the good parts.
He said they must shake off the defeat fast.
What happens next
Real Madrid return to league play against Sevilla. Then they face Barcelona in El Clasico. That is one of the biggest games in world football.
But Madrid will miss one star. Vinicius Junior is suspended for four league games. The ban follows a hair-pulling incident.
USA TODAY reported that Madrid will play their next four league games without him.
Roma must regroup. They have one point from two games. They need wins in the next rounds.
The good news is clear. Roma showed they can score against top teams. Malen scored twice.
The attack looked sharp. The bad news is also clear. Roma must fix their corner defense.
Teams will test them again.
For fans, the lesson is simple. No lead is safe in this format. A 3-1 lead with ten minutes left was not safe.
Three corners changed the whole game. Madrid have built a habit of late comebacks. Roma must learn to close out games.
PSG beat Man City 4-2 on the same night in another thriller. Liverpool won 6-3 at LASK with a hat-trick from Bradley Barcola. Vinicius Junior is banned for four matches and will miss El Clasico.
Barcelona beat Galatasaray in their own Champions League game.
Three corners, three goals
The finish deserves a close look. The first corner was played short. Gollini pushed the ball out.
Espi scored from close range. The second corner found Endrick. He headed it in at the near post.
The third corner found Rudiger. He scored at the back post. Three corners.
Three goals. Eight minutes.
Roma had defended corners well in the first half. They fell apart late. Tired legs may have played a part.
Fear may have played a part too. Gasperini used the word fear himself. His team stopped attacking the ball.
Madrid attacked every corner with belief.
Madrid now have six points. Roma have one point. The table does not lie.
But the game was closer than the table shows. Roma were the better team for long spells. The last eight minutes erased all of it.
That is football. That is why fans love this game.
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