The story turned tragic for the Giallorossi fans when Luiz Henrique soared in the 88th minute to head home a winner for Betis, silencing the Stadio Olimpico.
A year earlier, in August 2021, the two teams met in a preseason friendly that shockingly saw three Roma players and Mourinho himself sent off in a chaotic 5-2 win for Betis, establishing a real "bad blood" narrative before the competitive games even began. Roma vs Betis
The narrative peaked during the group stage. The storyline was dominated by the tactical duel between José Mourinho and Manuel Pellegrini , two iconic managers with long-standing history. The story turned tragic for the Giallorossi fans