Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Roma: Youngsters Rescue Jose Mourinho in Vintage Comeback

Real Madrid overcame a two-goal deficit inside the last 10 minutes of the game to defeat Roma 4–3 in a simply remarkable, trademark Champions League comeback on Wednesday night.

Roma were on the front foot from the start, taking the game to a visiting Real Madrid side that looked outclassed in terms of energy, intensity and aggressiveness. After a couple of brilliant Thibaut Courtois saves, the hosts finally went ahead thanks to a long distance Marten de Roon strike that took a slight deflection 20 minutes in.

Donyell Malen was inches away from doubling the lead minutes later, but when Real Madrid looked at their worst, a poor clearance attempt left the ball bouncing for Kylian Mbappé to fire a rocket from distance to equalize just five minutes later.

But Los Blancos never looked like the better side, and they crumbled in the first 15 minutes of the second half. A costly Vinícius Júnior turnover led to Malen restoring Roma’s lead and then he bagged his brace with a calm finish that was initially waved off for offside.

Then came Jose Mourinho’s substitutions that completely changed the game. The introduction of Endrick and Carlos Espí revitalized Madrid’s attack, and inside the final 10 minutes, the pair scored in a matter of seconds to equalize. In stoppage time, it was Antonio Rüdiger who won from a corner to complete a simply incredible Real Madrid comeback.

In arguably the best game of the young season, Real Madrid pulled off a historic comeback to make it two wins on the bounce to start their Champions League campaign. The performance for much of the game was beyond worrying, but the 15-time European champions showed they’re still capable of producing miracles out of nowhere in their favorite competition.

The Problem That Won’t Go Away

At what point will Real Madrid finally give up on deploying an Aurélien Tchouaméni–Federico Valverde midfield double pivot? There is plenty of evidence that suggests it just doesn’t work, and the midfield duo was once again lackluster on Wednesday night.

Make no mistake, Tchouaméni and Valverde are good players, but they don’t work together as a pairing. Neither is capable of controlling game through their passing, nor disciplined enough positionally to avoid Madrid from playing basketball games defined by transitions.

Against a Roma side that aggressively man-marks, having two midfielders that aren’t exactly press-resistant led to dangerous turnovers in build up. Halfway through the first half, Courtois and Madrid’s defenders opted to stop looking for their midfield duo and instead lobbed long balls up the pitch for the forwards to win. The midfield pairing finished the first half with just 33 completed passes combined—Courtois had more accurate passes (19) than Tchouaméni (17) and Valverde (16).

Real Madrid are simply unable to control games with this midfield duo. They also clearly lack an organizer capable of resisting press and conducting possessions from deep, something Bernardo Silva might be able to offer if Mourinho didn’t seem uninterested in giving him significant minutes.

There’s plenty of issues Real Madrid must fix, but it’s incredibly puzzling that as managers come and go, Valverde and Tchouaméni continue to start together in midfield. It’s an indictment on the club’s recruitment, but it’s also on the manager to change something that’s clearly not working.

As a consequence of Madrid’s uninspiring double pivot, Roma were the better team for much of the night, looking unthreatened defensively and capable of creating danger at any given moment.

Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Roma (4-2-3-1)

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Thibaut Courtois—6.4: The five-minute mark still hadn’t arrived, and Courtois had already produced two magnificent saves to deny the hosts from taking an early lead. Despite conceding three, he was vital in keeping his team in the game.

RB: Denzel Dumfries—5.7: Undisciplined in his marking of Paulo Dybala all game, allowing the Argentine time and space to manufacture Roma’s attacks. Caught out of position routinely in a dreadful evening for the Dutchman.

CB: Ibrahima Konaté—6.2: After a solid start he was completely dominated by Malen in the second half.

CB: Antonio Rüdiger—7.4: Tried to jump forward to intercept passes and left plenty of open space behind him routinely. Nevertheless, all of it will be forgotten after he scored the dramatic winner.

LB: Marc Cucurella—6.3: Characteristically stout defensively but missed the clearest chance of the night, alone against the goalkeeper but dragging his shot wide.

DM: Federico Valverde—7.2: Spent much of the game just jogging around the middle of the park without making any notable contributions. His bursts of speed to try to win possession back high up the pitch were unsuccessful and left Los Blancos exposed in midfield.

DM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—6.9: Completely overwhelmed by Roma’s man-marking which made him incredibly uncomfortable in possession. His defensive work wasn’t much better either, constantly beaten by Matias Soulé.

RW: Yan Diomande—8.5: Good from the teenager, who was constantly active in the final third and was also selfless out of possession, contributing to Madrid’s ball-recovery efforts.

AM: Jude Bellingham—7.4: Was isolated between a sea of Roma markers for much of the game. Although he tirelessly covered ground, he was unable to produce anything of note.

LW: Vinícius Júnior—6.7: Disappeared for long stretches of the game but did tee-up Bellingham in a dangerous chance late in the first half. Still, he looks miles off his best version. A simply unforgivable turnover.

ST: Kylian Mbappé—8.2: Celebrated becoming the youngest player to make 100 Champions League appearances with yet another goal. His individual brilliance is the main and perhaps only avenue for Real Madrid’s success currently.

SUB: Arda Güler (59’ for Dumfries)—8.3: Helped organize and control the game since his introduction, resulting in Roma retreating deep inside their halfway line.

SUB: Endrick (59’ for Vini Jr)—7.7: A menace for the entirety of his cameo, and it was his powerful header equalized the game. Arguably the best minutes of his Real Madrid career.

SUB: Bernardo Silva (70’ for Tchouaméni)—6.5: Not as involved in the late comeback, but he helped recycle possession during his cameo.

SUB: Álvaro Carreras (78’ for Cucurella)—6.2: Completed just four passes and got a yellow card.

SUB: Carlos Espí (78’ for Diomande)—7.1: Continues to produce despite his limited minutes. The super-sub started Madrid’s comeback with a poacher’s finish.

Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Sergio Mestre (GK), Dean Huijsen, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Thiago Pitarch, Brahim Díaz, Eduardo Camavinga.

What the Ratings Tell Us

• Denzel Dumfries offered next to nothing on either end of the pitch on Wednesday. The Dutchman has been Mourinho’s top-choice right back all season, but after his worst performance in a Real Madrid shirt, it would be puzzling not to see Trent Alexander-Arnold challenge for the starting spot.
• It’s not that Vinícius Júnior is immersed in a poor run of form, it’s that he looks completely out of sorts, disengaged and careless. This current version has little left of a player that was arguably the best in the world three seasons ago, and his place in Real Madrid’s XI should come into question. Endrick and Carlos Espí might get more minutes as a result.
• Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham seem like the only players capable of rescuing Madrid’s season, but dependence on individual brilliance won’t suffice at this level.

The Numbers That Explain Real Madrid’s Incredible Win

• Real Madrid finished the game with an xG of 1.86, and the three late goals represented 1.17 of that total.
• Roma’s last shot on goal of the game came in the 73rd minute, meanwhile Los Blancos registered five attempts on target after that.
• Real Madrid scored from the last three of the nine total corner kicks they had all game.
• Los Blancos finished the game with eight shots on target, and just one of them came in the first half (Mbappé’s goal).