Gasperini rues Real Madrid comeback after dramatic late turnaround

“It’s clear that Madrid were desperate and brought on all their forwards,” Gian Piero Gasperini said after Roma’s 4-3 defeat by Real Madrid on Wednesday. The Spanish side turned the match around with three goals in the final seven minutes, after Roma had been leading 3-1 in the 83rd minute.

Speaking at a press conference after the match, Roma’s coach said his team had found space to attack but had been too passive as Real Madrid fought back. What frustrated him most, he said, was that the goals had been conceded “too easily”. He also acknowledged his opponents’ achievement: “They did well, even though it hurts us.”

Gasperini felt Real Madrid had no other option at that point but to commit its forwards, and said the team deserved credit for making the most of that approach. He also noted that Roma had given away several corners in the first half while defending without allowing the opposition to create real danger. Roma had three chances and another in which the ball went within two centimetres of the goal, the coach said.

The frustration was also about managing the closing stages. Gasperini said his team should have resisted better at the decisive moment and protected its lead with greater resolve. He acknowledged that Roma had lacked “a bit of personality”, adding that the team had already struggled in this kind of situation last year.

However, the coach did not want the entire match to be defined by its closing minutes. “There is a real risk of wiping out everything this match was and remembering only the last seven minutes,” he said, while accepting that teams must know how to see a game through. Despite his disappointment with the finish, he felt Roma had performed well and had even been “far superior” to their opponents for much of the match.