Roma respond to Real Madrid defeat as Napoli edge seven-goal thriller

Roma returned to winning ways in the Champions League with a 4-0 victory over Slovan Bratislava, while Napoli ended Bodø/Glimt’s positive run with a dramatic 4-3 success in the third round of matches.

Roma were looking to recover after last week’s painful 4-3 defeat by Real Madrid, having led 3-1 until the closing stages. They produced a dominant response at home, scoring twice in the first half and adding two more goals after the interval.

Mario Hermoso opened the scoring in the 21st minute before Nahuel Molina doubled Roma’s advantage 18 minutes later.

It was the first time in the club’s history that Roma had scored two goals from defenders in a European competition.

Nicola Pisilli made it 3-0 in the 52nd minute, and Donyell Malen completed the scoring four minutes later to secure Roma’s first Champions League victory.

The result lifted Roma to four points and 13th place in the table. They will face Manchester United in the fourth round on 3 November.

Slovan Bratislava remain bottom without a point and have a goal difference of -12.

At the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, Napoli made a fast start when Matteo Politano scored after 54 seconds – the quickest goal in Napoli’s Champions League history.

Bodø/Glimt levelled through Jens Hauge in the 27th minute, but Scott McTominay restored Napoli’s lead four minutes before half-time.

The Norwegian side drew level again when Andreas Helmersen scored in the 62nd minute, making it 2-2.

McTominay then struck for a second time to put Napoli 3-2 ahead, with the goal coming 15 minutes before the end of the first half.

Napoli extended their advantage in the 88th minute through an own goal, but Sondre Fet pulled one back for Bodø/Glimt in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

The visitors held on to claim their first Champions League win, moving Massimiliano Allegri’s side up to 22nd place with three points. Napoli’s next match will be against Portuguese club Porto.

Bodø/Glimt dropped to 26th in the standings, also on three points, and will host French side Lille in their next fixture.