AS Roma vs. AC Milan

I just got back from one of the best games I’ve been to in my life.  The fans of Roma are even more enthusiastic about their team than the Lazio fans were.  I can now say that I am a lifelong fan of AS Roma.

AS Roma played AC Milan tonight which is a huge rivalry to start with – AC Milan is one of Roma’s four main rivals.  AC Milan historically has had a great team, but they haven’t won the championship in five years.  You can call it a bit of a slump.  Tonight’s game was a very important one because if AC Milan tied or won they would be crowned champions of Serie A (the elite soccer division in Italy).  If Rome won, it would continue its quest to win the championship.

We got to the stadium donned in our orange and red Roma uniforms and t-shirts (much like Griffindor colors) at 8:00 PM for the 8:45 PM game.  The handicapped seats for the game were too expensive, so we chose to tough it out in the middle of the crowd.  This was kind of funny because they do not respect seat assignments in the soccer stadium, so it is kind of a free for all.  We found three seats together around 30 rows back from the field in the corner in the section next to the die hard Roma season ticket holders.

The section of die hard fans was absolutely amazing.  As a Penn State student, I thought our student section was rowdy, but AS Roma raised the bar!  They were waving huge flags, screaming chants the whole game, and even had fireworks.  They were more entertaining than the actual game!

Firefighters were busy putting out all the fireworks the fans threw at the field!

The Roma fans threw a smoke bomb/firework at the Milan fans despite the two section buffer zone between them.

Roma played well against the highly favored Milan.  At the end of the game, it was a tie.  0-0 was the final score.  Roma players jumped up and down as if they had won the championship and Milan was just standing there.  It was a crazy atmosphere and the crowd went wild.  I can seriously say that both teams deserved to win that game, so it was a game fit to end in a tie.

Now, I can say my trip to Rome is complete.  I can go home now and be happy.  AS Roma has won me over.  I am now a fan and will chant FORZA ROMA for the rest of my life.

Note: This post was originally published on May 7, 2011 in a blog entitled “Romeing Around Europe” which chronicled my study abroad experience.