Mourinho takes blame for Real Madrid struggles before late rally - ESPN

ROME — José Mourinho took the blame for Real Madrid's struggles at AS Roma in the Champions League on Wednesday, before praising his players for leading a seven-minute comeback to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 win.

Substitutes Carlos Espí and Endrick each scored before a 90th-minute header from Antonio Rüdiger — with Arda Güler providing his second assist of the night — gave Madrid maximum points in the league phase so far.

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In his postmatch news conference, Mourinho said he'd been outsmarted by counterpart Gian Piero Gasperini, before making the necessary tactical changes after the break.

«The first half was the coach's fault; the second half was the players' fault,» Mourinho said. «Football is a 90-minute, strategic game. Opponents matter, and today's opponent was incredibly strong. They are a formidable team.

»But it's impossible to play at that intensity, the way they played, for a full 90 minutes. I made the substitutions I thought were necessary. But in the first half, they really punished us."

Mourinho introduced Endrick — for Vinícius Júnior — and Güler in the 59th minute, before adding Espí and Bernardo Silva as Madrid searched desperately for a way back into the game.

Vinícius told reporters afterward that he hadn't understood the switch, saying it was «natural to be angry» while acknowledging that the change had paid off.

«It was tough for Vini,» Mourinho said. «Vini lost a ball he shouldn't have lost [for Roma's second goal]. But that's how it goes. I make mistakes, too. It's a shame that this happened, just as he was growing