Capello: the defeat against Manchester United hurts more than Real
Roma's defeat against Manchester United hurt more than the previous one against Real Madrid, according to Fabio Capello and Alessandro Florenzi.
Capello and Florenzi's statements
Capello and Florenzi explained why the collapse of the Giallorossi against Manchester United was more painful than the one against Real Madrid. «This was against some pretty average players», Capello said.
Alessandro Florenzi, speaking on Sky Sport Italia, said: «This one hurts a lot more than Real Madrid, because they conceded three goals in seven minutes, but still played 83 excellent minutes of football». He added: «In Manchester, they only played one half. There are more regrets here».
Capello then observed that the Manchester United team does not have exceptional players capable of turning a match around in a minute, but rather average players, and therefore the pain is greater compared to Real Madrid.
The match and the reactions
The Giallorossi were leading 2‑0 at Old Trafford after just 18 minutes, thanks to goals from Matias Soulé and Donyell Malen, supported by Rodrigo Mora.
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Opportunities to extend the lead were numerous. Bruno Fernandes converted a penalty in the 58th minute, but Matheus Cunha scored a brace in the 83rd and 86th minutes to overturn the result, giving Manchester United a 3‑2 victory, the first in the Champions League since September 10.
Wesley of AS Roma appeared dejected at the end of the match. The Italian media described the defeat as a total capitulation, highlighting Roma's habit of surrendering leads.
Earlier the team had lost a 2‑0 advantage against Inter, ending 2‑2 on September 19, and had risked another collapse against Udinese, going from 4‑0 to 5‑2 after 37 minutes. That defeat raised concern among the fans.
Florenzi analyses Roma's turnaround against the Red Devils
The most painful turnaround occurred against Real Madrid, where a 3‑1 lead in the 82nd minute vanished after three corner goals in seven minutes, resulting in a 4‑3 defeat on October 14, 2026. The result fed doubt about the team's defensive solidity.
Capello observed that Italian clubs tend to underestimate Manchester United, a team that has achieved more comebacks from two goals in the Champions League than any other, with three of the four turnarounds against Italian opponents, including Roma, Atalanta (October 2021), Sporting Braga (October 2012) and Juventus (1999). According to Capello, this pattern of underestimation is recurring in Italian history.