From Roma v Juventus to Roma v Athletic: when the Olimpico played with the team

Stadio Olimpico, Rome. 21:00 CET, 6 March 2025. It's the first leg of the Europa League round of 16 but the opening 15 minutes of the match are hard to follow with everything going on in the stands. A truly unique spectacle.

Giallorossi flags everywhere. Over 60,000 fans and an unquantifiable number of flags. Beautiful, simple, yellow and red. Newly crafted or handed down through the generations.

“The Roma fan is always the best”, sings Lando Fiorini in the Roma anthem still played at the stadium today before every game. Roma v Athletic was an evening that will be hard to replicate. The crowd once again played their part, helping to blow Eldor Shomurodov's 93rd-minute shot into the net to make it 2-1.

We have seen similar evenings at the Olimpico before. The same passion expressed in different ways and different moments over the last 40 years. We've selected a few of them below.

Roma v Juventus 1986

This was the season Roma put together an incredible run to chase down leaders Juventus. Sven-Goran Eriksson's side played the best football that year but ultimately finished second. After a string of wins, the Giallorossi had closed the gap with the Bianconeri going into their head-to-head clash. Beating Giovanni Trapattoni's side would be massive. And the Olimpico played its part. Before the match, the stadium was given a yellow and red 'wraparound'. On the pitch, it was a one-sided affair: Roma 3-0 Juventus.

Roma v Slavia Praga 1996

“All the stadium” they sang repeatedly at the Stadio Olimpico on 19 March 1996. “All the stadium” for a comeback that seemed impossible but was in fact possible. “All the stadium” carried Carlo Mazzone's side in the return leg against Slavia Prague after they had lost the first leg 2-0, helping Roma take a 3-0 lead in extra time. Only for Jiri Vavra to dash Romanisti hearts with a decisive away goal.

Lazio v Roma 1998

"Our flag is always raised: a symbol of our faith, desire and victory.” So read the tifo in the Curva Sud before the Rome derby in November 1998. No images or special designs, just a sea of flags covering the Curva. The match itself finished 3-3, Roma coming from 3-1 down with 15 minutes remaining. It should have been 4-3 but Marco Delvecchio's late winner was wrongly disallowed.

Roma v Parma 2001

The match that clinched Roma's third Scudetto. 17 June 2001. 70,000 in the stands but it felt like at least 20,000 more. Not a free seat. Not even a free step. Two flags to every fan. A spectacular visual effect that affected the result before a ball had been kicked. Roma had to win to secure the title. And win they did: 3-1. An unforgettable day.

Roma v Lazio 2018

“The Giallorossi flag we raise to the sky. For she makes history.” That was the text of the tifo for the first derby of the 2018-19 season. Hundreds and hundreds of Giallorossi flags bobbing throughout the hardcore section of the Olimpico. Huge ones too. Enough to get the team in the right mood for derby success. Lorenzo Pellegrini, Aleksandar Kolarov and Federico Fazio made it 3-1.

Roma v Bodo 2022

Roma were hosting Bodo/Glimt in the Conference League quarter-finals, attempting to overturn a 2-1 deficit from the first leg in Norway. And they were not alone. The Olimpico faithful were there alongside the Giallorossi, and utterly smashed it. The game was won before kick-off. You could read it on the face of an incredulous Ola Solbakken (at the time playing for Bodo) as he entered the pitch. 4-0 the final score.

Roma v Leicester 2022

Roma v Leicester was the return leg of the Conference League semi-finals, after a 1-1 draw in England. Roma had the chance to reach another European final. All they needed was to win, even by a single goal. It helps when you're playing with 12 men.

That 12th man made itself felt all game long. Tammy Abraham's first-half header was enough to send the Giallorossi through to the final in Tirana.