Roma strengthens youth academy with Croatian midfielder Mardesic

Roma are awaiting instrumental examinations on Manu Koné and Paulo Dybala, both withdrawn early from Wednesday's Champions League match against Real Madrid. Dybala is suspected to have suffered muscular overload, but greater concern surrounds Koné, the French midfielder who appeared in tears after sustaining a flexor injury to his thigh. Tests scheduled for 16 October will clarify the severity of both injuries and recovery timescales. The assessments come as Gian Piero Gasperini faces the prospect of losing two more first-team regulars on top of existing absences, with Roma due to face Genoa on Saturday evening. The Stadio Olimpico is preparing a new Hospitality area in the Tevere Stand to complement the existing facility in the Monte Mario Stand. Work on the space is nearing completion and the new area could be inaugurated on Saturday during the Genoa fixture, offering dedicated services including catering to Hospitality bracelet holders. When interviewed by TNT Sports Brasil, Wesley expressed satisfaction with his performance against Real Madrid despite the result. "I'm happy, it's nice to receive a compliment from a manager like Mourinho," he said. The Brazilian revealed he had prepared carefully for his duel with Vinícius: "I was telling myself that I had to stop him. I was ready and I'm happy with my match, even though I still have a lot to improve." Gasperini had personally entrusted Wesley with the task of containing Real's attacker. "He told me he would put me to mark Vinícius and that he believed in me. I answered: 'Okay, let's go'," Wesley explained. Commentators offered contrasting perspectives on the performance. Carina on Radio Radio attributed Roma's collapse to individual errors: "It's hard to explain Roma's collapse. Roma played a spectacular match, dominated it, but matches last until the 90th minute and beyond. There were certainly individual errors: on Endrick's goal there's a marking error from Balerdi, on Rüdiger's from Molina. But it would be unfair to blame them entirely: it was a general collapse." Pedrelli on Radio Bruno 101.5 preferred to judge the display on performance rather than result: "I don't look at the result, but at the performance. A great match from Roma despite so many absences, against one of the strongest teams in the world. We're not far from making a real leap forward. Gasperini is the manager I wanted, especially in the answers he gives after the match."

Sports Illustrated, the US photography-focused publication, has highlighted Donyell Malen in a recent Instagram post following his standout display against Real Madrid. The Dutch forward scored twice in that match and became the subject of a 20-image gallery published by SI featuring Roma's number 9. The caption read: "Donyell Malen renders every image iconic."

Rodrigo Mora made a striking impression against Real Madrid on 14 October, coming on at half-time in place of Paulo Dybala and delivering a performance that caught the attention of both Roma supporters and Blancos fans alike. The Portuguese midfielder, born in 2007, picked apart Real Madrid's midfield repeatedly and provided an assist for Donyell Malen's goal that brought Roma level at 2–1. His display was sufficiently compelling to prompt Spanish fans to praise him on social media. Mora had appeared only from the bench in earlier fixtures against Inter and Como before manager Gian Piero Gasperini handed him a starting opportunity of sorts against the Spanish giants. The 19-year-old has seen limited first-team action so far this season, rotating with Matías Soulé and Lorenzo Pellegrini on the left of Roma's attacking three. His performance against Madrid, however, gave notice of his potential and may prompt Gasperini to deploy him from the start in the forthcoming league match against Genoa. Real Madrid supporters responded enthusiastically on social media. One commented: "That Rodrigo Mora is incredible, what a player!", while another wrote: "Mora made Real dance, he has more football in him than our entire midfield." A third noted: "He cost only 25 million this summer..." Gasperini's decision to introduce Mora at the interval, replacing a player of Dybala's calibre, underscored the manager's confidence in the young Portuguese talent's ability to handle elite opposition.