Roma vs Cagliari: Mora and Malen settle a wild 2-4 comeback

AS Roma beat Cagliari 4-2 at the Olimpico on 27 October 2026, and the late swing belonged to the bench. Rodrigo Mora scored in the 85th minute with an unstoppable header for Elia Caprile, then Donyell Malen added the late strike that finished the job after a game that had already turned twice.

The bench changed the game

The opening spell belonged to Cagliari. M'Bala Nzola converted a penalty in the 10th minute after VAR confirmed a handball by Niccolò Pisilli, and the visitors briefly had the kind of start that can settle a road game. Roma still found their way back into it before the interval, with Emanuele Lulli and Pisilli central to the first turnaround.

Mora's finish was the sharpest moment of the night. He came on for 34 minutes, scored, and posted an 8.2 rating, the sort of impact that makes the substitute list look like the real deciding XI. His season mark of 6.91 in Serie A backs up the idea that this was part of a productive run, not a one-off burst.

Roma's late edge in Serie A

Malen's goal gave Roma a second late punch, and his numbers fit the role he is playing. He has 7 Serie A goals this season, with another 3 in the Champions League, so the late finish against Cagliari sits neatly inside a wider scoring stretch. Roma moved on to 21 points and stayed four points behind Lazio, which is the kind of table position that keeps a comeback win relevant beyond the night itself.

The only real debate from the night is how to describe Mora's strike. Some accounts frame it as his second goal for Roma, while others call it his second goal of the season for the club. Either way, the main point is the same, he and Malen turned a tense 2-2 game into a 4-2 win, and Roma left the Olimpico with the points.