Mourinho Mocks Roma After Real Madrid’s Stunning Comeback: ‘The Players Were Dead’

According to a Post by Fabrizio Romano on his X account on Wednesday, October 14, 2026 Real Madrid manager José Mourinho has delivered a pointed assessment of AS Roma’s dramatic collapse after his team overturned a two-goal deficit to secure a 4-3 victory in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, October 14, 2026.

Mourinho said Roma’s players appeared to run out of energy after taking a commanding 3-1 lead, allowing Real Madrid to score three late goals and snatch victory at the Stadio Olimpico.

The Portuguese tactician, who returned to Rome as an opposing manager after previously leading Roma, described the encounter as a match of two distinct halves, with the Italian side dominating much of the contest before Madrid mounted an extraordinary comeback.

“After Roma scored 3-1, they thought the match was dead, but it was Roma’s players who were dead,” Mourinho said, reflecting on the dramatic turnaround.

According to comments reported by Italian football outlets, Mourinho acknowledged that Roma had been superior in several aspects of the game for long periods. However, he said his team became almost impossible to stop during the final 20 minutes.

“Two games in one. Roma were superior in every way, but then we had 20 minutes with a Real Madrid side that was impossible to stop,” he said.

The result provided another memorable European night for Real Madrid, who appeared to be heading towards defeat before producing a decisive late surge.

Roma began the encounter with greater intensity and put the visitors under sustained pressure. Their approach paid off when Marten de Roon opened the scoring, giving the home side an early advantage.

Kylian Mbappé subsequently restored parity for Madrid, but Roma regained control after the interval through Donyell Malen, who scored twice to put the hosts 3-1 ahead.

At that stage, Roma appeared firmly in control, while Real Madrid struggled to contain the home side’s attacking movements.

Mourinho admitted that Roma had caused his team considerable problems, particularly through Matías Soulé’s positioning on the flank, which created numerical advantages and made the visitors difficult to organise defensively.

He also acknowledged that Madrid had struggled to cope with Roma’s intensity for much of the contest.

However, the match changed dramatically in the closing stages as Madrid increased the pressure and Roma struggled to maintain their defensive organisation.

The turnaround ultimately left the Italian side facing a painful defeat after surrendering what appeared to be an unassailable advantage.

Real Madrid’s comeback gathered momentum when substitute Carlos Espí reduced the deficit in the 83rd minute, finishing after goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini had saved Endrick’s initial header.

Just two minutes later, Endrick rose to head home a corner delivered by Arda Güler, bringing the score to 3-3 and leaving the home supporters stunned.

Antonio Rüdiger then completed the turnaround in the 90th minute, volleying home from another Güler corner to give Madrid a dramatic 4-3 victory.

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