Roma's Champions League campaign begins 8 September against Fenerbahçe

A reader named Michele from Oman has illustrated the Champions League match between Roma and Real Madrid through a satirical cartoon that plays on the team's visible fatigue in the closing stages. The drawing captures the squad's collapse after a strong performance, using wordplay and visual humour to reflect on the match. The cartoon's central joke reads: "In summary we dominated Real Madrid until the 83rd minute… and then we hit rock bottom." Michele's illustration plays on the double meaning of the Italian expression "arrivare all'osso" (reaching the bone), depicting a skeleton dressed as an ancient Roman alongside an energy gauge that bottoms out at the 83rd-minute mark. The work offers a wry commentary on the physical exhaustion accumulated by Roma across the match, pinpointing the moment when the team depleted its reserves.

Michele Criscitiello, director of Sportitalia, has criticised the ovation Roma supporters gave José Mourinho before the Roma–Real Madrid match, arguing it was disproportionate to his achievements at the club. Criscitiello said the reception was inappropriate given that Mourinho won only the UEFA Europa Conference League during his time in Rome, which he described dismissively. He stated: "Roma has won only a Conference which is a little cup. You have shown yourselves to be a small fanbase—an ovation like that I could have expected from Inter for the treble, but for a little cup like the Conference League they made Mourinho into a god descended to earth. It makes no sense. 'Eternal Rome', for what? For winning the Conference…" Criscitiello also criticised Mourinho's response to the applause, noting that the manager appeared indifferent at the end of the match after taking the three points to return to the Bernabéu. He argued that such displays lack respect for Gian Piero Gasperini, the current Roma coach, who he said is working hard for the squad. The journalist characterised modern footballers and managers as mercenaries and suggested Roma's fanbase and the city had shown themselves to be small even on the international stage through the excessive welcome. Criscitiello concluded by saying: "I remain stunned by such a reception. Mourinho didn't even care. Adding insult to injury, he doesn't care at all—he takes the three points and returns to the Bernabéu. Players and managers are mercenaries. A simple round of applause would have sufficed. You have shown yourselves to be a small fanbase and a small city, even abroad."

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.