Football in Italy is not something that you can prepare for. In a way, it’s like walking into a time capsule, seeing the fanaticism of the supporters, the way their support their team and hail curses at each other, even during the day. Their passion is worn on the streets and in the pub. It’s seen in the countless sports articles, and hours-long sports shows on television, dissecting every movement a player makes during a game.
Italians love their Calcio (Italian word for football. Literally, it means “kick”). No, better yet, they are obsessed with it.
I thought I had seen real football passion in Paris, Frankfurt, and Lisbon. But they were all outdone by the atmosphere witnessed last Saturday night at the Stadio Olimpico, in Rome, where I watched A.S. Roma demolish A.C. Milan 4-2.
Located on the west bank of the Tiber River, the 70,634 all-seated capacity venue looms over the neighborhood, like an angry mother eying a mess in a child’s room.
Fans enjoyed meeting up with friends and family outside of the ground, taking in some of the fan-fest area, and for many like myself, getting to our seats early enough to get comfortable.
As was mentioned before, the passion of Italian football fans (or just Italian’s in general) is second to none. Sometimes, this passion overflows into violent exhibitions, usually reserved for countries going through a civil war. Entering the stadium, fans go through two full levels of security and police checking the match-ticket, and either a passport or the Tessera del Tifoso (Italian supporters ID Card). Fans are also checked by security at both levels to make sure they don’t bring in any weapons. Invariably, plenty of flares and firecrackers make their ways past the guards.
Standing in the stadium a full hour and a half before kickoff, I was impressed to see that I was not alone, by a long shot. Already there were at least two thousand other supporters in my section, Curva Nord, and our opposite section, Curva Sud, had nearly four thousand, by my guess.
My view from the 74th row at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome
Curva Sud at Stadio Olimpico
The best experiences I have had at matches have been when I am deep within the supporters sections, and luckily, the Curva Nord was not only filled to the brim with die-hard Roma fans, but close enough to the visiting Milan supporters for the home fans to hail insults in their direction. Traditionally, it’s the Curva Sud where the Romanisti’s live during Roma matches, waving flags, lighting flares, and leading the entire stadium in song and chant for ninety minutes. It was a beautiful sight.
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The crowd swelled in anticipation. Scarves raised, the Romanisti’s in unison belted out the first lines of the official team song, Roma Roma Roma, by Antonello Vindetti, with as much gusto as ever.
Roma Roma Roma
core de sta città
unico grande amore
de tanta e tanta gente
che fai sospirà
Roma Roma Roma
heart of this City
one and only love
of so much and so many people
which you make sigh for.
As the song’s last few notes played, the players of both teams took the field to resounding cheers, and a couple of minutes later, the match had begun.
Kickoff at the Stadio Olimpico
The first 45 minutes of action were some of the best I had seen in-person, or on television. Roma could seemingly do no wrong, creating havoc on the counter attacks, and constantly winning the ball back in the middle or final third of the field.
Although Italian football is known for the Catenaccio (dead-bolt, in Italian) style of play, with a very defensively and tactically organized structure on the pitch. The idea was to defend very strongly, and hope that the one or two counter attacks would lead to a goal, and a 1-0 or 2-1 low scoring win. The fact that Italy has won four World Cups and one European Championship is a testament to the success of the style.
On this night, the defense was no where to be found. A wide open, free-flowing game of football was witnessed by the (attendance) Romanisti fans. The Roma forward trio of Erik Lamela, Pablo Daniel Osvaldo, and Il Capitano Francesco Totti all contributed to the scoreline, and thanks to excellent service from the defense and midfield, were able to receive the ball while running towards goal.
Osvaldo nearly scored the opener in the 12th minute, when his beautifully finessed shot to the far post was palmed behind well by Milan goalkeeper Marco Amelia. But seconds later, Roma defender Nicolas Burdisso, playing in perhaps his final game in the Giallorossi, powered a header off a Totti corner kick into the far post to give the home side a 1-0 lead. The explosion of passion and emotion from the fans around me as the ball crossed the line was the most powerful I had felt in quite a while, and is one of the reasons why it is impossible not to be hooked on football.
Fans hugged, jumped around, shouted, cheered, and screamed for joy with the goal. And that was just the beginning.
Roma players celebrating the first goal of the match
At the other end, Roma goalkeeper Mauro Goicoechea had maybe his best day as a professional footballer. Milan nearly had an immediate response to going down 1-0, but Goicoechea was an iron curtain in front of net, stopping young Italian starlet Stephen El Sharrawy on a 1-on-1 breakaway.
In the 23rd minute, Roma were at it yet again. American midfielder Michael Bradley passed to the marauding left-back Federico Balzaretti, who found an open Totti on the left wing. Taking one touch, and waiting for Balzaretti’s overlapping run to create space, Totti sent in an inch-perfect left-footed cross towards the far post. Lamela, arriving at the right time, put an impeccable header in, off the far post, again leaving the Milan ‘keeper Amelia rooted to the spot. Suddenly, Roma had a 2-0 lead and the fans were in ecstasy. Arch-Rival Milan was being torn apart right in front of our eyes.
Roma players celebrate second goal around Francesco Totti
It was clear that the message from the Roma coach Zdenek Zeman was to keep pressing high up the pitch, and as such, yet another turnover in the Milan defensive third led to the third goal of the match for Roma, setting off yet another delirious round of celebrations in the Stadio Olimpico.
Again it was Bradley and Balzaretti in the mix on the left side of the field, forcing Milan into a silly turnover, with the ball falling right to Roma midfield legend Daniele De Rossi, playing in his 400th game for the Giallorossi. De Rossi’s beautifully feinted a shot, before slotting a perfect pass to Lamela, who was clear on goal, and his emphatic finish over the keeper and celebration afterwards delighted the crowd even more.
The fans were in heaven, and there was still plenty of time for even more goals, and it seemed very very likely. Milan were very lucky to go into the half down only 3-0, but they knew they also had a few chances on net that they squandered too easily.
The second half began just like the first, with the Giallorossi dominating Silvio Berlusconi’s boys. De Rossi, who had been suffering through a poor run of form looked very strong in the tackle, Bradley was running his tail off up and down the pitch, and Totti was majestic every time he touched the ball. You would have never guessed that he is 36 years old.
Totti nearly scored in the 50th minute, when he beautifully controlled a pass from Osvaldo, before his left footed strike rolled inches wide of the post.
However the Romanisti were not to be denied a fourth, as it came once more from the Argentine striker Lamela, who in the 61st minute latched onto a perfect cross from Balzaretti, and dispatched into the back of the net. Four-Nil, Roma-Milan. Incredible, is not even close to describing the emotions of the scene.
Totti Free Kick Roma vs. Milan
Michael Bradley Roma Milan
In Milan’s defense, they never gave up, despite the scoreline, and did a better job of possessing the ball after the fourth goal. Their fortunes increased when Roma right-back Marquinhos, he of 18 years young, was given his marching orders for an intentional handball as the last defender, and he had no complaints as he slowly retreated to the dressing room.
Soon Milan would claw one back, when Goicoechea, who had such a spectacular night for Roma in goal, palmed a save straight to Milan striker Giampaolo Pazzini, who was tripped up by the keeper in his attempt on goal, forcing the referee to call for a penalty shot in the 87th minute.
Pazzini PK Roma Milan Stadio Olimpico
Pazzini soon scored, and a minute later, with the Roma defense asleep at the wheel, former Roma and Barcalona striker Bojan Krkic sent in a goal off a headed pass from Pazzini.
But there was never enough time for Milan to complete the comeback, and despite being down to ten men, Roma finished the match comfortably, and holding onto the vital win and the three points, as well as bragging rights.
After the final whistle, another beautiful Antonello Venditti song, Grazie Roma, was played for the fans, and nearly everyone in the Curva Nord and Sud stayed around, scarves raised in the air, to sing. It was the perfect way to end the night.
Grazie Roma,
che ci fai piangere e abbracciarci ancora.
Grazie Roma, grazie Roma,
che ci fai vivere e sentire ancora una persona nuova.
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I couldn’t have picked a better way to finish off my dream European football tour. And the drama that played out on the pitch was even better than I could have imagined. The trip has really opened my eyes to another world of sport and culture, and I’m determined to see if I can make a living doing what I just did, that is traveling and seeing football matches all around! Wouldn’t that be a treat?
Me at the Stadio Olimpico
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