Radio pundits dissect Roma's Champions League collapse against Manchester United

Marco Di Bello, a referee from the Brindisi section, has been appointed to officiate Roma's home match against Sassuolo, the Serie A eleventh-round fixture. The game is scheduled for Saturday 7 November at 20:45 at the Stadio Olimpico, according to the Italian referees' association (AIA), which published the match officials for the round. Ivano Pezzuto will work in the VAR room, while Marco Guida has been named AVAR. The appointments complete the officiating team for the fixture, which Gian Piero Gasperini's side will host in front of their own supporters on Saturday evening. Roma face Sassuolo, the opponents identified in the match report, in the eleventh round of the league campaign. The fixture is the club's next home league game at the Olimpico.

Roma host Sassuolo at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday 7 November, looking to put the defeat at Manchester behind them and continue their strong start to the season in Serie A. The Lega Serie A has released the referee appointments for the match. Marco Di Bello of the Brindisi section will referee the fixture. His assistants will be Peretti and Scatragli, with Abisso as fourth official. Pezzuto will be the VAR, with Guida as AVAR. Di Bello has officiated 34 previous Roma matches, producing 21 wins, 6 draws and 7 defeats for the Giallorossi, a record that is clearly positive for the club. Their last meeting came on 25 April 2026, when Roma beat Bologna 2-0 away. Before that match, Roma had already won seven consecutive games under Di Bello and were unbeaten in nine. He also took charge of the wins over Genoa and Cremonese in the 2025/26 season. Di Bello has refereed 17 matches involving Sassuolo, with a record of 4 wins, 7 draws and 6 defeats for the Neroverdi. Their most recent meeting came this season, on 6 September 2026, when Di Bello refereed Bologna-Sassuolo, which finished 2-2. Sassuolo's overall record with the Brindisi referee is therefore less favourable than Roma's, which has built a long run of positive results with him in recent years.

Roma host Sassuolo at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday, looking to bounce back quickly from their defeat at Old Trafford. Referee Di Bello will take charge of the match, with assistant referees Peretti and Scatragli and Abisso as fourth official. Pezzuto is the VAR, with Guida in the AVAR role. Sassuolo are coached by Aquilani. The historical record between Roma and Di Bello favours the Giallorossi. The two sides have met 34 times, with Roma winning 21, drawing 6 and losing 7. Roma have won all of their last eight matches refereed by Di Bello and have been unbeaten in ten games under him. Their last defeat in one of his matches came on 8 February 2022, when Inter won 2-0 in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals. The most recent meeting came on 25 April, when Roma beat Bologna 2-0 at the Dall'Ara, with goals from Malen and El Aynaoui. The result provides encouragement ahead of a match that Roma need to treat as a chance to respond immediately after the Old Trafford loss.

Rodrigo Mora has spoken warmly about team-mate Wesley after Roma's defeat at Manchester United, where Mora was among the Giallorossi's best players in the first half. Mora said: "Today he played another great match. He is a great player and he will reach the highest levels of football." The Portuguese midfielder also described their relationship: "We talk mostly about Brazil and Brazilian football. The language helps us a lot. He gave me a big hand when I joined Roma and I am really grateful to him." Mora's comments were reported by TNT Sports. Manchester United celebrated the win on social media with a post recalling their previous meetings with Roma, from a 7-1 result through to the comeback of last night. The caption, "Absolute cinema", referred to a contest in which Roma, under Gasperini, had dominated the first half and gone two goals ahead before the Red Devils turned the game around. Newspaper ratings favoured Soulé, who earned a 7.00 as Roma's best player thanks to a very strong first half that included a goal and a penalty won. Mora followed on 6.75, while Cristante and Wesley received generally positive marks of 6.25. At the bottom of the ratings, Balerdi scored 4.42, penalised for the error that started United's comeback. Pisilli (4.83) and Lulli (5.08) also struggled, while Vasquez and Ghilardi, both on 5.50, remained below the pass mark. Rensch left the Manchester United match early with a muscle problem in his right adductor and was replaced by Lulli. The Dutchman will undergo further assessments in the coming hours by the Roma medical staff to establish the extent of the problem. Rensch is a serious doubt for the Saturday fixture against Sassuolo.

Roma lost 3-2 at Old Trafford in Manchester, having led by two goals before being pegged back, a result that makes qualification for the Champions League knockout phase harder. Italian newspapers were unanimous in praising the first half as very high level, but the second half was markedly less bright, and a much-disputed penalty awarded to the hosts added to Roma's frustration. The papers' player ratings were widely critical of Balerdi, who received a 4.5 from La Gazzetta dello Sport, a 4 from Corriere dello Sport and La Repubblica, and a 5 from Il Messaggero. Soulé was the standout performer, rated 7.5 by La Gazzetta dello Sport, Corriere dello Sport and La Repubblica, and 7 by Il Messaggero and Corriere della Sera. Mora also earned strong marks, with a 7 from Corriere dello Sport and La Repubblica. Pisilli was judged harshly, rated 5 by La Gazzetta dello Sport, 4.5 by Corriere dello Sport, La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera, and 5 by Il Messaggero and Il Tempo. Gasperini was given a 5.5 by La Gazzetta dello Sport and La Repubblica, a 5 by Corriere dello Sport and Corriere della Sera, and a 6 by Il Messaggero and Il Tempo. Vásquez received 5.5 from Il Messaggero and 6 from La Repubblica, Il Tempo and Romanews.eu. Cristante earned 6.5 from La Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere della Sera, and Wesley was rated 6.5 by Corriere dello Sport and Il Tempo. Malen was rated 7 by La Repubblica, with Castro's late cameo marked between 5 and 6 across the papers.

Roma were dominant for 45 minutes at Manchester United before collapsing in the second half, a defeat that Italian newspapers describe as a painful one. It is the club's second Champions League blackout, following the defeat against Real Madrid, and a collapse that Gian Piero Gasperini will have to work on for a long time. Matías Soulé was named the best Roma player on the pitch, playing a perfect first half, opening the scoring and winning the penalty that made it 2-0. However, he faded in the second half, as did the rest of the team. Defender Leonardo Balerdi was rated the worst player on the pitch, with his error on United's equaliser to make it 2-2 weighing heavily on him. The collapse after such a strong start is seen as difficult to explain, and it puts a spotlight on the team's ability to hold a lead against top opposition. The Italian sports press rated the Roma players in a range of marks across five newspapers. Gazzetta dello Sport gave Soulé 6.5 and Balerdi 4, and Corriere dello Sport gave Soulé 7.5 and Balerdi 4. Il Messaggero gave Soulé 7 and Balerdi 5, while Il Tempo gave Soulé 7 and Balerdi 4.5. Corriere della Sera rated Soulé 7 and Balerdi 4.5, and Leggo gave Soulé 7 and Balerdi 4.5. Gasperini received marks between 5 and 6 across the papers. Roma lined up in a 3-4-2-1 formation. Vásquez started in goal, with Mancini, Balerdi and Hermoso in defence, and Rensch, Cristante, de Roon and Wesley in midfield. Soulé and Mora played behind Malen. Rensch was replaced by Lulli at 21 minutes, Mora by Pisilli at half-time, and Mancini and Hermoso were replaced by Ghilardi and Ndicka at 75 minutes. Malen made way for Castro at 80 minutes.

Roma threw away a two-goal lead at Manchester United in the Champions League, losing 3-2 after a dominant first half in which Soulé and Malen (from the penalty spot) had put them ahead. The collapse follows a similar late unravelling against Real Madrid, and this time the defeat is even more painful. Roma controlled the first half, rattling a United side that looked unrecognisable, before disappearing from the pitch after the break with no reaction and no ability to ease the English pressure. The responsibility, the article argues, must be shared, and head coach Gasperini must accept his part. Taking off Rodrigo Mora at half-time, after the Portuguese had lit up Roma's attacking play, was hard to understand. Pisilli's introduction was meant to bring more substance and dynamism but removed quality and unpredictability, and from that point Roma barely threatened. Replacing the injured Rensch with Lulli, rather than the more experienced Molina, also raised doubts; the young winger suffered badly under the weight of the match and United's pressure. Both choices failed and Gasperini will have to reflect on them. The squad is also showing strain. The absences of Manu Koné and Paulo Dybala were felt, especially when the team needed fresh legs and quality to escape difficult moments. Roma still lack a quick attacking winger who can beat a man and turn a move, something the club sought without success during the summer transfer window. Balerdi, probably the best player on the pitch until then, made a costly error, missing the ball on the cross that allowed Cunha to equalise. A few minutes later it was 3-2. The decisive moment was the penalty awarded to United for a very light contact between Mancini and Cunha, which looked utterly incomprehensible. The retake, after Vásquez had saved the first attempt, was justified because Cristante's foot was already inside the box, but the initial decision that revived a struggling United side remains a source of enormous doubt. Bruno Fernandes's goal reignited United and Old Trafford. The real problem, the article says, was what happened in the minds and legs of the Roma players: as the pace rose and United pressed harder, Roma were gripped by fear of losing a victory already within reach and could not respond. Gasperini acknowledged after the game that this defeat could teach Roma even more than the loss to Real Madrid, and the article agrees, while insisting the problem must be faced rather than hidden behind the refereeing call or the absences. The result leaves Roma's hopes of reaching the Champions League play-off round harder to secure. The club now face Sassuolo on Saturday evening at the Olimpico, a final push before the international break. The article says Roma must recover injured players, energy and composure, and collect three points, while the championship remains the season's main target. Roma have repeatedly shown they can bounce back from disappointment, and the article concludes that the real frustration is seeing how strong this team can be, and how little it still takes for them to stop being so.

Gian Piero Gasperini says Roma's defeat at Old Trafford will teach his side more than the comeback loss to Real Madrid. Roma lost 3-2 to Manchester United in the fourth matchday of the Champions League league phase, after a penalty and a second-half turnaround that swung the game. Roma had dominated the first half and could even have scored a third. Gasperini drew a clear distinction between the two games. He said: "I think it was a different match. Against Real, everything happened in the last 7-8 minutes, with set pieces, from a corner, without other obvious signals. Here it was different after the penalty, which gave them great momentum. We were not able to hold on to that push." Asked whether the goals conceded so close together were down to chance, he replied: "No, there is no chance involved, but the situations are different. In this evening's case, unlike the first half, we were no longer able to have the same strength against their attackers, who were the ones giving us the most difficulty. Then there is the fact that the first goal came from a penalty and the second came after an injury to one of ours. Perhaps it was a moment when the match had rebalanced a little. It's fair that Manchester have a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes of great pressure. If you get through those moments and those episodes unscathed, maybe in the end you win the match too." Alessandro Florenzi asked whether the defeat was part of the team's growth or hurt more than the Real Madrid result, and whether Nahuel Molina could have played to bring international experience. Gasperini said: "Yes, Molina could have played, because as you rightly say he is an international player. But this evening Rensch had started very well, he was having an excellent game. Then he had this injury and I brought on Lulli. Afterwards there were no longer the conditions to make a change. Wesley had an excellent defensive game, and so it went. That was not the reason for the defeat." On the broader question, he added: "I think they are two different matches. Honestly, I believe this match taught us more than the one against Real Madrid. The game with Real was the result of an unexpected ending. This evening we experienced certain moments that can happen in Europe, in environments as important as Old Trafford. We must absolutely learn from them for the future." Gasperini also addressed the second half, when Manchester changed their system, pressed high and stopped Roma playing. He said: "They changed something, they had nothing left to lose and started pressing high. But it was not only that. We should have played in a slightly different way, perhaps using some long balls to take them away from our half. Essentially, though, we could no longer keep track of their attacking players." He added: "We perhaps should have resorted to a few more stoppages and a few more challenges, competitively speaking. We suffered their momentum a little too much, which was then clearly amplified by the penalty and later by the 2-2 episode." Asked about Roma's failure to stop the bleeding in difficult moments, following Mbuemo's double hit off the woodwork after the penalty and the 3-2 goal that came immediately after Leonardo Balerdi's error at 2-2, he said: "Yes, that's how it is. At least this evening it was. It also happened something similar against Real Madrid. Perhaps there is a dip caused by disappointment, when you see a win slip away that you thought you had in your grasp. Against Real Madrid we had it in our grasp, this evening we were still in a good position. Perhaps these episodes mean the team must learn to take some of the pressure of the result off itself, at all costs. It is not only that, although of course the result matters. But this is a match that will surely serve us more than others in order to grow."

Gian Piero Gasperini has spoken after Roma lost to Manchester United in their Champions League fourth-round fixture, a defeat in which a penalty gave the English side real momentum and Roma were unable to hold that surge. Gasperini was asked whether the match echoed the late collapse against Real Madrid. He rejected the comparison: "No, I think it was a different match. Against Real everything happened in the last 8 minutes from set pieces, and there were not such clear signs as there were today, especially after the penalty, which certainly gave them momentum, and we were not able to hold on to that push." On the pattern of conceding goals in quick succession at moments when a result should be managed, Gasperini said there was no coincidence but that the situations were different. "Tonight we did not have the strength against their attackers in the second half. The first goal for them came from this penalty, then came this mistake for the second, at a moment when the match had become a little more balanced. There were those 15 minutes of Manchester pressure, and if you can get through those episodes unscathed, you might even win it." Asked whether this defeat hurt more than the Real Madrid result, Gasperini said: "It was a match. It taught me more than the one against Real Madrid, which was the result of an unexpected ending. In certain moments in Europe, and in environments this strong, it makes us draw something out for the future." Gasperini was also asked whether Mario Molina could have offered the international presence needed in such moments. He said: "Yes, Molina could have come on tonight, but Rensch started very well, then he suffered an injury and I brought on Lulli. After that there were no longer the conditions to make a change. Wesley had an excellent game defensively, and so it went." On why Roma lost the personality they showed in the first half, Gasperini said: "They had nothing left to lose, so they pressed high, and that was to be expected. We had to play a little differently, also using long balls to take them away from our half. Essentially we were no longer able to hold their runners, so they had the better of the pressing and of their attacking moves. This caused us problems, and perhaps we needed a few more stoppages in terms of competitiveness. We were somewhat overwhelmed by their momentum, which was clearly amplified by the penalty and by the episode of the 2-2."

Rodrigo Mora has spoken warmly about team-mate Wesley after Roma's defeat at Manchester United, where Mora was among the Giallorossi's best players in the first half. Mora said: "Today he played another great match. He is a great player and he will reach the highest levels of football." The Portuguese midfielder also described their relationship: "We talk mostly about Brazil and Brazilian football. The language helps us a lot. He gave me a big hand when I joined Roma and I am really grateful to him." Mora's comments were reported by TNT Sports. Manchester United celebrated the win on social media with a post recalling their previous meetings with Roma, from a 7-1 result through to the comeback of last night. The caption, "Absolute cinema", referred to a contest in which Roma, under Gasperini, had dominated the first half and gone two goals ahead before the Red Devils turned the game around. Newspaper ratings favoured Soulé, who earned a 7.00 as Roma's best player thanks to a very strong first half that included a goal and a penalty won. Mora followed on 6.75, while Cristante and Wesley received generally positive marks of 6.25. At the bottom of the ratings, Balerdi scored 4.42, penalised for the error that started United's comeback. Pisilli (4.83) and Lulli (5.08) also struggled, while Vasquez and Ghilardi, both on 5.50, remained below the pass mark. Rensch left the Manchester United match early with a muscle problem in his right adductor and was replaced by Lulli. The Dutchman will undergo further assessments in the coming hours by the Roma medical staff to establish the extent of the problem. Rensch is a serious doubt for the Saturday fixture against Sassuolo.

Roma were dominant for 45 minutes at Manchester United before collapsing in the second half, a defeat that Italian newspapers describe as a painful one. It is the club's second Champions League blackout, following the defeat against Real Madrid, and a collapse that Gian Piero Gasperini will have to work on for a long time. Matías Soulé was named the best Roma player on the pitch, playing a perfect first half, opening the scoring and winning the penalty that made it 2-0. However, he faded in the second half, as did the rest of the team. Defender Leonardo Balerdi was rated the worst player on the pitch, with his error on United's equaliser to make it 2-2 weighing heavily on him. The collapse after such a strong start is seen as difficult to explain, and it puts a spotlight on the team's ability to hold a lead against top opposition. The Italian sports press rated the Roma players in a range of marks across five newspapers. Gazzetta dello Sport gave Soulé 6.5 and Balerdi 4, and Corriere dello Sport gave Soulé 7.5 and Balerdi 4. Il Messaggero gave Soulé 7 and Balerdi 5, while Il Tempo gave Soulé 7 and Balerdi 4.5. Corriere della Sera rated Soulé 7 and Balerdi 4.5, and Leggo gave Soulé 7 and Balerdi 4.5. Gasperini received marks between 5 and 6 across the papers. Roma lined up in a 3-4-2-1 formation. Vásquez started in goal, with Mancini, Balerdi and Hermoso in defence, and Rensch, Cristante, de Roon and Wesley in midfield. Soulé and Mora played behind Malen. Rensch was replaced by Lulli at 21 minutes, Mora by Pisilli at half-time, and Mancini and Hermoso were replaced by Ghilardi and Ndicka at 75 minutes. Malen made way for Castro at 80 minutes.

Roma threw away a two-goal lead at Manchester United in the Champions League, losing 3-2 after a dominant first half in which Soulé and Malen (from the penalty spot) had put them ahead. The collapse follows a similar late unravelling against Real Madrid, and this time the defeat is even more painful. Roma controlled the first half, rattling a United side that looked unrecognisable, before disappearing from the pitch after the break with no reaction and no ability to ease the English pressure. The responsibility, the article argues, must be shared, and head coach Gasperini must accept his part. Taking off Rodrigo Mora at half-time, after the Portuguese had lit up Roma's attacking play, was hard to understand. Pisilli's introduction was meant to bring more substance and dynamism but removed quality and unpredictability, and from that point Roma barely threatened. Replacing the injured Rensch with Lulli, rather than the more experienced Molina, also raised doubts; the young winger suffered badly under the weight of the match and United's pressure. Both choices failed and Gasperini will have to reflect on them. The squad is also showing strain. The absences of Manu Koné and Paulo Dybala were felt, especially when the team needed fresh legs and quality to escape difficult moments. Roma still lack a quick attacking winger who can beat a man and turn a move, something the club sought without success during the summer transfer window. Balerdi, probably the best player on the pitch until then, made a costly error, missing the ball on the cross that allowed Cunha to equalise. A few minutes later it was 3-2. The decisive moment was the penalty awarded to United for a very light contact between Mancini and Cunha, which looked utterly incomprehensible. The retake, after Vásquez had saved the first attempt, was justified because Cristante's foot was already inside the box, but the initial decision that revived a struggling United side remains a source of enormous doubt. Bruno Fernandes's goal reignited United and Old Trafford. The real problem, the article says, was what happened in the minds and legs of the Roma players: as the pace rose and United pressed harder, Roma were gripped by fear of losing a victory already within reach and could not respond. Gasperini acknowledged after the game that this defeat could teach Roma even more than the loss to Real Madrid, and the article agrees, while insisting the problem must be faced rather than hidden behind the refereeing call or the absences. The result leaves Roma's hopes of reaching the Champions League play-off round harder to secure. The club now face Sassuolo on Saturday evening at the Olimpico, a final push before the international break. The article says Roma must recover injured players, energy and composure, and collect three points, while the championship remains the season's main target. Roma have repeatedly shown they can bounce back from disappointment, and the article concludes that the real frustration is seeing how strong this team can be, and how little it still takes for them to stop being so.