Verona-Roma 0-2. Recognizing reality is the foundation.
What defines the mental health of a person, a club, and a nation is the recognition of reality. If these organizations reject reality and are prey to paranoia, they can be dangerous (as Nazi Germany was) and are doomed to catastrophe. On the other hand, if you can recognize reality, perhaps facilitated by a positive personal situation, you will be able to face problems that to others seem insurmountable.
Roma is a prime example, a team that many thought had no chance of reaching the Champions League zone until a couple of weeks ago. Yet, we're in the Champions League. Because we believed in our objective until the very end. We rationally studied the overall situation and specific incidents. We arrived ready for the matches. And we did it.
The match in Verona wasn't as easy as previously predicted. Verona drew against Juve in Turin and against Inter in Milan. They displayed the tactical approach we expected: often with eight or nine players inside the penalty area, then quickly launching counterattacks with Bowie. This strategy left the score at 0-0 at halftime.
| 38th Serie A | First Half | Second Half | Final Score | Scorers |
 | ||||
 | 56’Malen, 90+3’El Shaarawi |
In the second half, Verona attempted to win the match, increasing possession and territory. However, this exposed them to Roma's counterattacks. This resulted in a second yellow card and then a red card for Valentini, and a penalty for Roma, which Malen first missed and then converted with an assist from the excellent Dybala.
Dybala deserves a separate paragraph. Paulo was perfect yesterday. Only a brilliant Montipò denied him a free kick. His dribbling skills forced Valentini to be sent off. He also provided the assist for Malen to make it 0-1. It's crucial to keep him, given the big stages that await us.
Dybala's second assist came in injury time for ElSha. A farewell kiss, as the excellent DAZN commentator put it. Stephan thus put the seal on the 2026/27 Champions League. His story with Roma was a love story that ended in the best possible way. His story. Our story.
And here we enter a psychological-philosophical discussion of reality. Most Juventus fans don't raise tactical or technical objections, but rather complain that the management doesn't have enough power over the top brass. Which could also be translated as "They don't bribe the top brass enough." This shows that they too are well aware that all of Juventus's Scudetto wins are due to the great power that Juventus, through FIAT, held in Italy and therefore over Italian football. Juventus was for a long time the richest club in Italy (not now). FIAT was for a long time the most important Italian industry (not now).
In my opinion, recognizing reality—the positive and negative aspects of a performance—is essential for growth, including knowing when a penalty is clear and when it isn't. Juventus fans are spreading misleading political propaganda that doesn't work because there are cameras everywhere these days, and the media shows everything.
This is certainly a matter of politics as well. For example, Israel's politics. Israel can say as many times as it wants that the genocide didn't happen, that since the truce there have been no deaths. Yet there are still deaths. Just look at the films, the videos, the reports by correspondents, which cannot be denied. Rejecting reality means the beginning of paranoia and therefore catastrophe. This applies to Juventus, to Israel, and to every person living in delusion.
It's too early to talk about the new season now. It's right that the new season is already being discussed in the secret rooms of Trigoria, but we Roma fans should enjoy the moment. We need to choose a sporting director quickly. I also think it would be right for the various clubs' trophy cabinets to also include a record of their Champions League qualifications.
Let us always remember Kipling's lesson. Remembered by a great like Sinner. Today we celebrate. Tomorrow we return to work, to study, to work hard to reach our goal. Our goal for 2025/26 was to reach the Champions League, and we achieved it. For next year, we'll see when we start to have some pieces of the puzzle for the 2026/27 season.
Daje Roma!
Giordano Sepi