Gollini on Real Madrid loss: set pieces cost us a beautiful performance

Marten de Roon struggled to process Roma's 3–4 loss to Real Madrid on 14 October, describing the result as painful despite what he felt was a dominant display. Speaking to Prime Video after the match, the midfielder said: "I find it hard to comment on this match. It's a great shame, this is a heavy result. We played a great match and dominated Real Madrid for 80 minutes." De Roon acknowledged Real Madrid's quality emerged through their substitutions but felt Roma's defending had been sound until set pieces became a liability. He concluded: "Their quality came out with the substitutions, but we had defended well. Except for corners, we were too static, too still. We defended poorly, that's part of the game."

Donyell Malen spoke to Prime Video after Roma's 3–4 defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League. The forward expressed his disappointment at the result, saying: "Great disappointment, because we hoped to go through, but they managed to score. There is a great connection, we are a great squad, however there are things that did not go well, we need to talk about them." Malen was asked about his personal feelings on Roma's performance in the competition. He acknowledged the team's quality while emphasising the need for internal discussion about what went wrong. The match saw Roma concede four goals, a setback in their European campaign this season.

Pierluigi Gollini reflected on Roma's loss, expressing the frustration of a difficult evening. The goalkeeper said: "There remains the bitterness of this evening, of a match played in a magnificent manner." Roma surrendered a lead in a European fixture against Real Madrid, conceding four goals in a 3–4 defeat at home. The result follows Gian Piero Gasperini's post-match assessment, in which the head coach stated that Real were "outclassed" and that Roma "planted themselves on the finish line" — suggesting defensive lapses in the closing stages. Coach José Mourinho, meanwhile, described the match as "two-faced," saying Roma "were unable to stop us" late on. Gollini's comments reflect the squad's sense that the performance deserved a better outcome given their dominance for large periods. The loss marks a significant setback in Roma's European campaign this season.

Pierluigi Gollini reflected on Roma's loss, expressing the frustration of a difficult evening. The goalkeeper said: "There remains the bitterness of this evening, of a match played in a magnificent manner." Roma surrendered a lead in a European fixture against Real Madrid, conceding four goals in a 3–4 defeat at home. The result follows Gian Piero Gasperini's post-match assessment, in which the head coach stated that Real were "outclassed" and that Roma "planted themselves on the finish line" — suggesting defensive lapses in the closing stages. Coach José Mourinho, meanwhile, described the match as "two-faced," saying Roma "were unable to stop us" late on. Gollini's comments reflect the squad's sense that the performance deserved a better outcome given their dominance for large periods. The loss marks a significant setback in Roma's European campaign this season.

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.