AS Roma - Real Madrid
On Tuesday evening, October 13, 2026, I departed from Brussels Airport to Rome for the AS Roma vs. Real Madrid match, which was set to take place the following day. After a two-hour flight, I arrived at Fiumicino Airport. From there, I took the train to the Noba Hotel in the eastern part of the city center, where a fine, clean, and modern room was waiting for me.
After checking in, it was time to get some sleep straight away; the energy would be much needed for Wednesday, with a day full of exploring Rome’s top highlights and attending the match.
Early the next morning, the alarm went off and I headed down for breakfast. I grabbed some yogurt and melon before taking the metro toward Vatican City. After passing through the security checkpoint, I stepped out onto St. Peter’s Square. Unfortunately, a special event mass was underway, meaning the basilica itself was closed to visitors.
From there, I visited the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. It was all stunning, and with clear blue skies and temperatures around 25°C, I had little to complain about—except perhaps for how busy it was everywhere, which was quite unexpected.
For lunch, I ate at an Osteria, an Italian restaurant famous for preparing its fresh pasta live in the front window. It was pure enjoyment and, of course, completely incomparable to supermarket pasta.
Around 1:30 PM, I headed toward the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. While there, I took a great photo holding up a Vini jersey, hoping he would shine just as he did in those brief minutes against Villarreal—though sadly, that wasn’t to be.
Afterward, I returned to the hotel briefly to freshen up and rest. To get to the away section at the stadium, you essentially have two choices: take the metro yourself followed by a 40-minute walk, or travel by bus under police escort. I opted for the first route.
I arrived at the stadium three hours before kickoff. Outside, there was remarkably little going on—something you don’t see very often—so I decided to head inside early. Only about 30 fans were inside out of the eventual 2,000 away supporters. It was just a matter of watching the crowd slowly trickle in.
This time, seating was unreserved. That’s always a plus, as it avoids the usual chaos of people trying to swap seats to sit together. This setup worked flawlessly. The most vocal supporters claimed the lower rows, while I sat just a bit higher up—giving me an excellent view of the pitch while still soaking in the full atmosphere.
The match started like almost every away game in the Champions League: under heavy pressure and purely in survival mode. Somewhere along the way, that seems to have become a routine. This time, however, the routine lasted for nearly 75 minutes, leaving you wondering for the longest time what on earth you were watching. Even Mbappé’s out-of-nothing equalizer to make it 1-1 in the first half didn’t offer much relief.
It was deeply frustrating. I even saw a few supporters leave early after AS Roma went up 3-1. I overheard one say: “If they don’t care, why should I stand here?” Whether they actually managed to leave, I don’t know—the Italian police were extremely strict, and I doubt anyone was allowed to exit early. Lucky for them, as it turned out.
Once Güler, Espi, Carreras, Bernardo, and Endrick were brought on, the team played with vastly improved quality and energy. The set pieces in particular became a dangerous weapon with the Turk behind the ball. The whole display looked much fresher, and suddenly, the determination to rescue a result was back.
In the 90th minute, Rüdiger himself sealed the 3-4 comeback. Pure disbelief! The Madridistas in the away sector were tumbling over one another in wild celebration. Nobody had expected this, but the magic between Real Madrid and the Champions League remains undefeated. You could even see tears of pure joy in the eyes of a few supporters.
With this result, after two tough fixtures, we stand on a maximum score of 6 points in the Champions League—a tally every single one of us would have signed up for beforehand.
After the final whistle, we had to wait in the away section for over an hour until the police gave the green light to leave the stadium by bus. We were dropped off near the city center around 12:30 AM, by which time the metro lines had already stopped running. I decided to walk back to the hotel—a 60-minute trek, but with a dramatic victory in the bag, the walk felt effortless.
It was another magical night! ¡Hala Madrid!