OMM Newsroom
Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has responded to Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho’s claim that his team were “dead” late in their second-round match in the UEFA Champions League league phase.
Gasperini said Real Madrid were the side that weakened on the pitch. “If anyone was dying out there, it was them. We completely outplayed them. The opposition scored from set pieces, but for the rest of the match they could not show their level.”
The coach stressed the importance of seeing out the game in its decisive minutes. He said Real Madrid had brought on fresh players, while Roma needed to stick to their style of play and analyse the negative moments. Tuttomercatoweb published Gasperini’s comments.
The teams went into halftime level at 1-1 in the match, played in Rome on October 14. Donyell Malen scored in the 51st and 57th minutes to put Roma 3-1 ahead. But Espi scored in the 82nd minute, Endrick in the 85th and Antonio Rüdiger in the 90th to give Real Madrid a 4-3 victory.
In the third round of the league phase, Roma will face Slovan Bratislava on October 20, while Real Madrid will play RB Leipzig on October 21.
