Gollini: defeat hard to explain and deeply painful

Pierluigi Gollini expressed deep disappointment after Roma's defeat to Real Madrid in the second matchday of the Champions League, saying the side's collapse from set pieces had spoiled an otherwise dominant display. Playing against one of Europe's elite, Roma controlled the match for 80 to 90 minutes with a strong physical and tactical performance, but conceded three set-piece goals that undermined all that work. "It is difficult to explain, it hurts a lot," Gollini said. "We played the match in a sumptuous way. It would have been a beautiful evening for us and our fans. We fell short on one detail—set pieces. I haven't watched the goals yet honestly, but we could all have done more. It's a shame; three set pieces were enough to spoil and squander a performance. We are left with the bitterness of this match, despite 80–90% of the game being positive. It's a pity." Gasperini addressed the squad after the final whistle, instructing each player to reflect on what they could have done better. The goalkeeper acknowledged the psychological impact of conceding similar goals in quick succession: "When you concede a goal in that way and another one the same, it's normal that fears set in, perhaps a negative thought. Taking two goals in the same manner means a bit more concern on the third. That's part of football. We know what we need to do—analyse these goals and move on from what we did brilliantly tonight. It would be a pity to throw it away." Gollini emphasized his own contribution: "I felt very good on the pitch. I had to make a few saves, but that's normal against teams of this calibre. I saw a great Roma physically and tactically." Looking ahead, he adopted a day-by-day approach: "After Como I thought about Real Madrid; from tomorrow I think about Genoa. I take it day by day, trying to prepare myself as best I can and give my contribution to help this squad stay high and produce beautiful performances."

Donyell Malen expressed disappointment after Roma's defeat to Real Madrid in the second matchday of the UEFA Champions League. "There is great disappointment, because we hoped to go forward, but they managed to score," Malen said. He acknowledged Roma's quality but identified areas for improvement: "There is a great connection, we are a great team, but there are things that did not go well, we need to talk about them." The match marked Roma's second outing in the league phase after their opening fixture. Malen reflected on the team's overall performance and the need to analyse what went wrong tactically and in execution to avoid similar outcomes in future matches. When asked about two postcards he received, Malen revealed they were from his grandmother and mother, who told him they had spent good time together and were very proud to see him play in this competition.

Pierluigi Gollini spoke after Roma's defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League, expressing frustration at conceding three set-piece goals despite a dominant display. The goalkeeper acknowledged Roma's control of the match for 80–90 minutes but said the team had paid for a critical weakness. "Ottanta minuti di grandissima Roma, poi?" he began. "Difficile spiegare, fa molto male. Rimane l'amarezza di questa serata, di una partita giocata in maniera sontuosa." He continued: "Sarebbe stata una serata bellissima, per noi e per i nostri tifosi. Siamo venuti a mancare in un particolare, nei calci piazzati. Non ho ancora rivisto i gol sinceramente, ma tutti potevamo fare di più. Ci dispiace, sono bastati tre calci piazzati a rovinare e mandare in fumo una prestazione." Gollini praised Roma's overall approach and said set-piece vulnerability must be addressed urgently. "Una grande Roma, sì," he said of the team's first-half showing. "Ho avuto qualche intervento da fare, ma è normale che arrivino contro squadre del genere. Mi sono sentito molto bene in campo, ho visto una grande Roma fisicamente e tatticamente. Purtroppo siamo mancati in quel fondamentale del gioco del calcio, i calci piazzati, ed è un peccato." Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini told the squad in the dressing room to reflect individually on how each player could improve. Gollini noted that conceding two identical set-piece goals had introduced psychological pressure before the third. "Prendere un gol in quel modo e un altro uguale è normale che subentrino delle paure, magari c'è un pensiero negativo," he explained. "Il fatto di aver preso due gol uguali, al terzo un po' di preoccupazione in più la hai." Looking ahead, Gollini said he approaches each fixture individually: after Como and Real Madrid, he is now focused on the Genoa match. He stressed that the team should carry forward the positive elements of the performance. "Ciò che è stato fatto bene ci deve dare morale, ciò che abbiamo sbagliato rabbia per arrivare più carichi alla prossima."

Pierluigi Gollini expressed deep disappointment after Roma's defeat to Real Madrid in the second matchday of the Champions League, saying the side's collapse from set pieces had spoiled an otherwise dominant display. Playing against one of Europe's elite, Roma controlled the match for 80 to 90 minutes with a strong physical and tactical performance, but conceded three set-piece goals that undermined all that work. "It is difficult to explain, it hurts a lot," Gollini said. "We played the match in a sumptuous way. It would have been a beautiful evening for us and our fans. We fell short on one detail—set pieces. I haven't watched the goals yet honestly, but we could all have done more. It's a shame; three set pieces were enough to spoil and squander a performance. We are left with the bitterness of this match, despite 80–90% of the game being positive. It's a pity." Gasperini addressed the squad after the final whistle, instructing each player to reflect on what they could have done better. The goalkeeper acknowledged the psychological impact of conceding similar goals in quick succession: "When you concede a goal in that way and another one the same, it's normal that fears set in, perhaps a negative thought. Taking two goals in the same manner means a bit more concern on the third. That's part of football. We know what we need to do—analyse these goals and move on from what we did brilliantly tonight. It would be a pity to throw it away." Gollini emphasized his own contribution: "I felt very good on the pitch. I had to make a few saves, but that's normal against teams of this calibre. I saw a great Roma physically and tactically." Looking ahead, he adopted a day-by-day approach: "After Como I thought about Real Madrid; from tomorrow I think about Genoa. I take it day by day, trying to prepare myself as best I can and give my contribution to help this squad stay high and produce beautiful performances."

Pierluigi Gollini spoke after Roma's defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League, expressing frustration at conceding three set-piece goals despite a dominant display. The goalkeeper acknowledged Roma's control of the match for 80–90 minutes but said the team had paid for a critical weakness. "Ottanta minuti di grandissima Roma, poi?" he began. "Difficile spiegare, fa molto male. Rimane l'amarezza di questa serata, di una partita giocata in maniera sontuosa." He continued: "Sarebbe stata una serata bellissima, per noi e per i nostri tifosi. Siamo venuti a mancare in un particolare, nei calci piazzati. Non ho ancora rivisto i gol sinceramente, ma tutti potevamo fare di più. Ci dispiace, sono bastati tre calci piazzati a rovinare e mandare in fumo una prestazione." Gollini praised Roma's overall approach and said set-piece vulnerability must be addressed urgently. "Una grande Roma, sì," he said of the team's first-half showing. "Ho avuto qualche intervento da fare, ma è normale che arrivino contro squadre del genere. Mi sono sentito molto bene in campo, ho visto una grande Roma fisicamente e tatticamente. Purtroppo siamo mancati in quel fondamentale del gioco del calcio, i calci piazzati, ed è un peccato." Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini told the squad in the dressing room to reflect individually on how each player could improve. Gollini noted that conceding two identical set-piece goals had introduced psychological pressure before the third. "Prendere un gol in quel modo e un altro uguale è normale che subentrino delle paure, magari c'è un pensiero negativo," he explained. "Il fatto di aver preso due gol uguali, al terzo un po' di preoccupazione in più la hai." Looking ahead, Gollini said he approaches each fixture individually: after Como and Real Madrid, he is now focused on the Genoa match. He stressed that the team should carry forward the positive elements of the performance. "Ciò che è stato fatto bene ci deve dare morale, ciò che abbiamo sbagliato rabbia per arrivare più carichi alla prossima."

Roma squandered a dominant display to lose 4–3 to Real Madrid in the second round of the UEFA Champions League League Phase at Stadio Olimpico on 14 October. The Giallorossi led 3–1 and controlled large stretches of the match but capitulated in the final stages, conceding three goals from corner kicks. Donyell Malen scored twice and created constant danger, earning an 8 rating, but his performance could not prevent Real's turnaround. Gian Piero Gasperini's side began brightly and took the lead through Marten de Roon before Malen and Matías Soulé extended the advantage. Real mounted a second-half comeback that proved fatal to Roma's hopes. The defensive substitutions—Leonardo Balerdi replacing Gianluca Mancini at 63 minutes and Konstantinos Koulierakis entering for Mario Hermoso at 80 minutes—failed to shore up the backline; both changes coincided with the collapse that allowed Real to turn the match around. Koné's early injury at 15 minutes proved costly to Roma's midfield stability, forcing Niccolò Pisilli into action. Wesley earned a 7 rating for tireless full-back play, while De Roon was judged indispensable given the midfield injuries and warranted 7 for both his goal and leadership. Rodrigo Mora came on for Paulo Dybala in the 46th minute after Dybala suffered a muscular problem, contributing 6.5 with an assist for Malen's second goal. Soulé, deployed wide on the right by Gasperini, scored 7 for his performance and the assist that made it 3–1. Lorenzo Pellegrini replaced Soulé at 63 minutes but could not affect the outcome, firing high from a good position. On the defending side, N'Dicka earned 6.5 despite conceding Rudiger's goal, while Hermoso was marked 5.5 for responsibility in Mbappé's opener. Pierluigi Gollini was rated 6, largely unburdened until the final collapse. Gasperini himself received 6, with the assessment noting that Roma's lack of experience and composure under pressure—particularly from set pieces—cost them dearly in the final twenty minutes.