Greatest AS Roma Moments: 5 Times the Giallorossi Showed What They’re Made Of | OneFootball

Every true AS Roma fan knows all about April 25, 1984, even if they weren’t born to witness it. It’s the day the Giallorossi overturned a two-goal first-leg deficit against Dundee United with a dramatic 3-0 win at the Stadio Olimpico and reached the European Cup final.

Although the yellow-reds later lost on penalties to Liverpool in that same final, the moment has defined the team and showed what’s possible, even against all odds. Still, it’s far from an isolated event, as Roma’s long history is full of nights that still get talked about today.

Defying the Odds: Roma 3-0 Barcelona (2018)

After losing 4-1 to Barcelona at the Camp Nou in the first leg of the 2018 Champions League quarter-finals, Roma needed a miracle, and few fans expected the team to come back. Much like a poker calculator can tell you when the odds of winning a hand are low, all statistical models pointed to the Giallorossi having little chance of advancing.

But football isn’t poker, and the sport’s best wins come from teams with the odds stacked against them. That was certainly the case for Roma, who, despite it all, chose not to accept defeat. And thank God they did because they pulled off one of the best comebacks in the competition’s history.

While Edin Džeko gave the Giallorossi an early lift, it wasn’t until the 82nd minute that the team got the miracle they needed. After a corner kick, Kostas Manolas headed the ball right past the goalkeeper. The stadium erupted, and for good reason: Roma had just reached the Champions League semifinals for the first time in more than three decades.

Scudetto of a Lifetime: Roma 3-1 Parma (2001)

By the time the Giallorossi welcomed the Crociati to the Stadio Olimpico on June 17, 2001, Roma hadn’t won Serie A in 18 years. The whole city was at the stadium that day, and who knows how many fans were gathered around their TVs, watching the yellow-reds on the final day of the 2000/2001 season. The pressure was on, to say the least.

Roma took control early that day, with Francesco Totti the first to find the back of the net. Before halftime, Vincenzo Montella pounced on a loose ball and scored another one, doubling the Giallorossi’s lead. The third and final one came in the 78th minute, with Gabriel Batistuta sealing the deal, enough for the team not to care about Marco Di Vaio’s goal just four minutes later.

Beating Madrid Home and Away: Real Madrid 1-2 Roma (2008)

Winning against Real Madrid is a challenge in its own right, but doing it on their home turf is next-level difficult. And yet, that’s precisely what Roma managed to pull off in March 2008. The yellow-reds traveled to the heart of Spain to prove once and for all they could hold their own against Europe’s crème de la crème.

Roma already had a 2-1 lead from the first leg of their Champions League face-off against Real Madrid. But instead of defending the score, the Giallorossi pushed forward. Rodrigo Taddei scored Roma’s first goal in the 73rd minute, and Mirko Vučinić added another one in stoppage time for good measure.

The second leg ended with Roma securing a 2-1 victory against Spain’s best, knocking out the powerhouse that is Real Madrid with an aggregate score of 4-2, and moving on to the quarter-finals. As it stands, this matchup is still one of the cleanest knockouts in the Giallorossi’s modern history.

First European Trophy in a While: Roma 1-0 Feyenoord (2022)

Roma’s clash with Feyenoord at the Arena Kombëtare in Tirana marked the club’s first European finals appearance in more than 30 years, after they lost to Inter in the UEFA Cup in 1991. Before reaching this stage, the Giallorossi had also gone six decades without lifting an official European trophy.

The UECL final against De Trots van Zuid on May 25, 2022, had all fans biting their nails as Roma finally got their chance at European silverware. After the 22-year-old star of the show, Nicolò Zaniolo, masterfully controlled a long pass and flipped it into the net in the 32nd minute, all Giallorossi had to do was hold tight. And who’s better at parking the bus than the Special One himself?

Mourinho put on a tactical masterclass to defeat the Dutch side 1-0. Although it wasn’t the Champions League, for tens of thousands of fans back home who had gone decades without any European trophy, it was more than enough to kick off a celebration that would last for days.

Totti’s Final Goodbye: Roma 3-2 Genoa (2017)

The win against Genoa on May 28, 2017 may not have been Roma’s most resounding, but it was certainly one of the most emotional. Though it was Edin Džeko who gave Roma another early lead, with Daniele De Rossi scoring the second goal, and Diego Perotti sealing it at the death, fans roared loudest when Totti came off the bench.

And how could they not, when it was Er Pupone’s farewell? After spending a quarter of a century with the club and wearing the captain’s armband for almost 19 of Roma’s 91 years of existence at the time, the legendary Francesco Totti finally retired. The Giallorossi’s match against Il Grifone marked the 40-year-old’s 786th appearance for the team.

Totti made his debut for Roma’s senior side in 1993 at 16, though he wouldn’t score his first goal until September 1994. Just four years later, he became team captain, which made him the youngest Serie A club captain ever at 22. Totti held that position for 19 straight seasons, which is still the record for the most consecutive seasons a player has captained a particular club.

Final Thoughts

Though the five moments above don’t appear to have much in common at first glance, as they’re from different competitions and decades, they have all defined the Giallorossi. Each one of them also perfectly showcases what the yellow-reds are really like: passionate, bold, and always ready to go against all odds.

That’s the same club that came back from the brink against Dundee United and reached the European Cup final in 1984. And with this kind of grit and determination, who knows what Roma can achieve next?