Italy suffers its darkest Champions League night: all four teams lose and concede 14 goals

The Champions League delivered a historic night for Italian football, but for all the wrong reasons: all four of its representatives lost on the same day and conceded 14 goals between them. Napoli, Inter, Como and Roma all came away empty-handed, with three of them taking the lead before collapsing. Never before had Serie A clubs completed a full sweep of defeats in Europe's top club competition.

• All four Italian teams lost on the same Champions League matchday for the first time in history.
• Napoli, Como and Roma took the lead in their matches and still ended up beaten.
• Roma conceded three goals in the final eight minutes against Mourinho's Real Madrid.
• Italy's overall record was nine goals scored and fourteen conceded, with not a single point rescued.

Real Madrid comes from behind at the Olimpico to condemn Roma

The cruellest ending came in Rome. The home side were close to beating Real Madrid, now managed by José Mourinho, their former head coach in the giallorossi dugout. Everything fell apart in a devastating late spell: Real Madrid equalised in the 85th minute and sealed a 3-4 win in the 90th. Three goals conceded in the space of eight minutes left Roma empty-handed and closed out a matchday of four defeats for Italian clubs.

Napoli, Inter and Como also fall without finding a response

Napoli took the lead away at Villarreal, but a defensive mistake opened the door for the Spanish side, who came back to win 3-1 and hand the Partenopei the first Italian defeat of the night. Napoli head coach Massimiliano Allegri later explained the difference in demands between competitions: "The level of the Champions League is higher. When you play against medium and small teams you don't realise it, but when you play in the Champions League you do."

Inter, meanwhile, were the only one of the four who failed to take the lead. Club Brugge beat them 4-3 and inflicted their second defeat of this Champions League campaign, a result that complicates their path in the league phase. In Rotterdam, Cesc Fàbregas' Como also failed to hold onto their advantage: Feyenoord turned the match around to win 3-2, another blow for an Italian football scene already struggling in Europe.

14 goals conceded and zero points: an unprecedented defensive collapse

The most damning statistic of the matchday was the number of goals conceded. Fourteen in just four matches, an average of 3.5 per game, exposed the serious defensive problems of the Italian sides. Even the nine goals they scored between them were not enough to rescue a single point, a figure that highlights how far Serie A's competitive level has fallen against tougher European opposition.

Rival comebacks and late collapses define the night

The matchday followed a common pattern: three of the four Italian teams took the lead and still lost. Napoli, Como and Roma all showed problems managing their advantages, while the closing stages of matches only increased the punishment. Inter, who never led in their match against Brugge, completed the picture of a night in which Italy found no team to cling to.

Frequently asked questions about Italy's dark night in the Champions League