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"Their fightbacks in games aren't convincing, and you get the sense that everything is falling apart or going wrong," was CBS Sports pundit Jamie Carragher's verdict on Real Madrid's 4–3 victory over Roma on Wednesday.
The 2005 Champions League winner added candidly: "They are barely keeping it together. They could easily lose to Barcelona [on Oct. 25] and then surrender the La Liga title."
It's a sentiment many would share following Madrid's rocky beginning to the 2026–27 campaign.
Despite an overhaul in the summer, new boss José Mourinho has struggled to keep up with Barcelona—Europe's standout team—while longstanding issues with balance in attack and midfield have persisted. The recent Madrid derby loss exposed the team's weaknesses, while two wins from two in the Champions League mask some glaring problems.
And yet, the comeback victory at the Stadio Olimpico was exhilarating, chaotic and breathtaking—a reminder that Real Madrid's Champions League mystique operates beyond logic or reason. Dismiss them at your own risk.
Madrid Remain Inevitable in Europe
With Madrid seemingly dead and buried at 3–1 down, super sub Carlos Espí netted his third of the season to give the away side hope on 82 minutes.
Three minutes later, Endrick, another substitute, headed home from a corner to level the score, while Antonio Rüdiger did likewise to steal victory from the jaws of defeat right on 90 minutes. Another player introduced from the bench, Arda Güler, played a pivotal role in all three goals.
By overturning a two-goal deficit on 82 minutes to win 4–3, Real Madrid completed the fastest three-goal comeback in the club's history. The performance also stands as the quickest away turnaround (of two or more goals) in Champions League history.
They claim that record from Liverpool, who previously held it with a 12 minute, 48 second-turnaround against Villarreal back in 2022.
Mourinho's side had been outclassed for long stretches of the evening in Rome, with Gian Piero Gasperini's outfit controlling the first hour. And yet, it was Madrid—15-time European champions—who left as winners.
Even when they are objectively below par, Los Blancos simply refuse to be counted out in their preferred competition. Both Zinedine Zidane and Carlo Ancelotti's Madrid sides cultivated an air of inevitability in Europe that mediocre league form could never shake. The sense of destiny surrounding the club is such that a "prophecy" went viral in Spain last season predicting Madrid would still lift the Champions League despite appearing well off the pace of Europe's elite.
Wednesday night was perhaps Mourinho's first truly iconic Madrid moment since returning to the dugout.
Time to Channel the Feeling
Incredible Real Madrid comeback 🤯#UCL pic.twitter.com/Pj1OhAsMVG
"It was two matches in one," Mourinho told Prime Video after the game. "Roma were better in every way during the first half, and then we were unstoppable for 20 minutes."
"After going 3-1 down, perhaps everyone thought it was over, but the only ones who were finished were the Roma players."
"It is very hard to play with this intensity and the style of football that they bring. We made some changes, because conceding three, four or five goals doesn't change much. Roma simply couldn't cope with that wave of attacking play."
While the overall display may leave much to be desired—as Carragher noted, the club looks to be barely holding together at times—Madrid can still draw plenty of positives from Wednesday's result. Even when things seem to be unraveling, they can flourish in the disorder.
The quality on the bench and the hunger of Mourinho's reserve options is highly encouraging, and a reminder that Madrid possess a world-class squad despite the minor grievances. The euphoria of the remontada will also provide fans and players with a clear lift heading into a crucial stretch of the season, with the Clásico now just ten days away.
But above all, after a faltering start, Mourinho and his squad must look to harness that sense of destiny and become indestructible once more, if they are to stand any chance of stopping Barça this season.