From 3:1 to 3:4: Gasperini explains the reasons for the painful defeat against Real

15 October 2026, 09:26·47·Sport

In the 2nd round of the UEFA Champions League league phase, Rome's «Roma» club experienced a true football drama in a home match against Madrid's «Real» team. Leading 3:1 until the 83rd minute, the Romans conceded three goals in just seven minutes and ultimately suffered a painful 3:4 defeat.

After the match, the «wolves» head coach Gian Piero Gasperini gave an interview to Amazon Prime, speaking openly about the missed victory and his team's mistakes in the final minutes.

«Our players seemed paralyzed»: What is the coach angry about?

Gasperini noted that his players performed perfectly for most of the game, but their defense completely fell apart in the closing minutes:

Loss of control: «We were controlling the game very well, but we lost. In the end, we defended extremely poorly on corner kicks, our players seemed paralyzed», — the Italian specialist emphasized;
«Real» was more tired: «In my opinion, if anyone was tired, it was definitely Real. We could have scored a few more goals, we were clearly outplaying the opponent. However, they still managed to turn the game around and make their attacks as dangerous as possible».

A bitter lesson and the danger of a two-goal lead

Gasperini stated that losing focus even for a second against an opponent of this level is an unforgivable mistake:

The impact of the final minutes: «This will be a great lesson for us. The final minutes are always decisive; even if you are leading by two goals, you cannot afford to relax», — he concluded.

«Roma's» difficult situation in the tournament

Following this dramatic defeat, the Roman club found itself in a difficult position in the UCL standings:

One point in two rounds: Following the results of the first two rounds of the Champions League league phase, Gian Piero Gasperini's team has only 1 point;
Pressure on upcoming matches: To qualify directly for the playoffs or reach the play-off round, «Roma» now has almost no room for error in the remaining matches.