Matias Soulé hopes Roma’s collapse from 3-1 to lose 4-3 to Real Madrid can ‘be a valuable lesson’ about focus in the Champions League. ‘It has to be an issue of mentality.’
It went from dream evening to nightmare at the Stadio Olimpico in the first Champions League home fixture for seven years.
ROME, ITALY – OCTOBER 14: Donyell Malen and Niccolo Pisilli of AS Roma celebrates scoring his team’s third goal with teammates during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD2 match between AS Roma and Real Madrid C.F. at Stadio Olimpico on October 14, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images)
Marten de Roon and a Donyell Malen brace had put them 3-1 up deservedly, but their awful defending from set plays proved pivotal, conceding three almost identical goals in the final seven minutes.
They allowed Carlos Espi, Endrick and Antonio Rudiger to turn in from corner kicks, throwing it all away for a 4-3 defeat to Real Madrid.
Soulé distraught at Roma collapse
ROME, ITALY – OCTOBER 14: Marten de Roon of AS Roma celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with teammates during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD2 match between AS Roma and Real Madrid C.F. at Stadio Olimpico on October 14, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images)
“I am speechless, it was a game entirely in our hands and we threw it all away on three corner kicks,” Soulé told Amazon Prime Video Italia.
“It has to be a valuable lesson, we need to be fully focused for the full 90 minutes plus stoppages. I think it has to be an issue of mentality, because when you concede three practically identical goals in seven minutes, something is wrong.”
This means Roma have one point from two Champions League games, having held Fenerbahce to a 1-1 draw in Turkiye.
ROME, ITALY – OCTOBER 14: Antonio Rudiger of Real Madrid scores his team’s fourth goal during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD2 match between AS Roma and Real Madrid C.F. at Stadio Olimpico on October 14, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
The performance for 75 minutes should absolutely boost confidence going forward, but the extent of that late collapse has got to hit morale even harder.
“We’re disappointed, but we can’t throw everything away, because we had played a really good game. It hurts to lose after the level of the performance for so long.
“We’ve got to take the positives from this and work on the negatives to learn from them.”
To make matters worse, Manu Koné went off in tears after 17 minutes with a fresh injury setback, then Paulo Dybala also suffered a muscular issue at half-time.