Attending an AS Roma football match (Italy)

In 2018, I took advantage of our stop in Turin to watch a match featuring Juventus, and another one with Torino (great memory!).

During our long stay in Rome in 2020, matches were played behind closed doors due to covid.

So it wasn’t until March 2023 that I got the chance to attend an AS Roma match with a great lineup: AS Roma vs Juventus!

Buying the tickets

Having only planned our trip to Rome two weeks in advance, the match was already sold out by the time I looked into it.

I therefore decided to buy a ticket on the resale platform Viagogo.

It’s something I generally wouldn’t recommend. For one, speculation on buying and reselling sports events is pretty distasteful, and on top of that, Viagogo uses the worst marketing tricks to create a false sense of urgency to push you into buying.

Plus, there are tons of negative reviews from buyers who never got their tickets on time…

I was reassured by the fact that these were e-tickets, so no need to get a physical ticket by mail (like I had to for the Coldplay concert in Warsaw).

My ticket was in the curva, in the Curva Nordstand. I got it for €86. Which must be, I imagine, about 3 times the actual price.

I picked the ticket based on availability and what seemed to offer the best value for money, but if you want to be in the ultrasstand, then you’d rather choose Curva Sud .

I was able to download the ticket the next day, a good week before the match. Efficient.

The stadium

AS Roma shares its stadium with the city’s other club: Lazio Rome. It’s the Stadio Olimpico di Roma , built in 1953. Its theoretical capacity is 72,698, but the two giant screens reduce it.

The match I attended, which was sold out, welcomed 64,213 spectators.

The stadium is in the north-west of Rome and, with no metro station nearby, it’s not exactly well connected. That said, I was staying on the opposite side. You might need to combine metro and bus or tram to get there.

The teams

In this 2023 season, Napoli dominates the championship by a large margin. Several teams are neck and neck for the other 3 Champions League qualification spots. That’s the case for AS Roma, and it was for Juventus before they were docked 10 points over yet another financial scandal.

On paper, Juventus has a solid squad with two World Cup winners: Argentina’s Di Maria and France’s Pogba (back from injury). The team also boasts last World Cup finalist Adrien Rabiot.

I know less about AS Roma’s roster. They have former Juventus player Dybala and are coached by the Special One , José Mourinho.

The big scare

I left well in advance so I wouldn’t have to rush.

But in the end, between my decision to walk the last leg after the metro ride and having to circle the stadium to find my gate (not exactly well signposted), I showed up at the entrance a mere 15 minutes before kick-off.

I nearly had a heart attack seeing the people in front of me showing ID to the stewards.

I have an ID on me, that’s not the issue.

As I told you, I bought my ticket on the resale site Viagogo. The ticket I received wasn’t in my name, which didn’t worry me. Viagogo’s email said that in some cases, the ticket might be in the original holder’s name, and that it wouldn’t be a problem.

So I decide to play dumb and show my ID, hoping the steward would only give it a quick glance.

Fail.

He points out that the name doesn’t match. I explain my situation. He asks a colleague: no luck, I’m not getting in.

I’m gutted. And I decide to try my luck quietly at another line, just a few meters away.

I change my strategy: I explain that I forgot my wallet.

That doesn’t work. Don’t you have a copy on your phone? No. A credit card? No. Can someone from your family send it to you? No.

Honestly, it’s ridiculous. If I’d known, a bit of Photoshop would have sorted it out.

I keep pleading my case. The steward tries to call someone on the phone, no answer. Then he lets me through! Yes!

Second step: the gate where you have to scan the QR code. I scan it: red light. I try again: red light.

This time, I think it’s over, I’ve been scammed… I’m going to miss the match and spend the next 20 years of my life trashing Viagogo.

Since the guy before me had several failures before getting through, I insist. People behind me are getting impatient.

A steward comes over, takes my phone. Same thing, he tells me someone has already used my ticket. Then he goes to the second page of the PDF (which I hadn’t noticed) and surprise: there’s a second ticket! He scans it: green light, I’m in!

Wow, what an emotional rollercoaster, I’m finally going to see the match!

Last check: I raise my arms for a pat-down. Actually, it’s not a pat-down; the guy asks for my ID. Nooo!

I try again: “I forgot my wallet.”

“Can’t enter without ID verification.”

“But your colleagues let me through.”

“Your ticket, please.”

I pull out my phone, which is still on the second page of the PDF, with the second ticket. And I realize that this ticket… is in my name!

Haha, all along, I had a perfectly valid ticket!

To avoid looking like a complete idiot after just saying I’d forgotten my wallet, I showed him my ID on my phone.

And this time, it’s good, I get into the stadium.

Honestly, Viagogo is a joke; they should never have sent me a PDF with two tickets.

First off, I almost never got in, and without the steward who noticed the PDF had two pages, I would have left with my tail between my legs.

And I could have easily scanned the wrong ticket. Or worse: used both after a bit of Photoshop to alter the name.

Anyway, it’s crap, it almost cost me dearly, but more scared than hurt!

The atmosphere

So I arrive in the stands just moments before the match starts. As often in the curva, it’s total chaos. I never make it to my official seat (which was anyway too low, in row 11).

I’ll stand the whole match by a barrier, fairly central, not bad at all. The stands are quite far from the pitch because of the athletics track: it’s not an English-style stadium.

But I’m immediately in the thick of it.

To the right: the Juventus away section, which is packed. The AS Roma anthem being sung in deafening noise.

And a gorgeous red and yellow tifo across the whole stadium.

The atmosphere is quieter during the match. The play is not very exciting, defensive, Italian style. Quite a bit of sloppy play, a bit surprising given the level of the players.

Juventus dominate the match and hit the post several times.

Until Mancini’s goal for AS Roma early in the second half.

A powerful strike, magnificent. Even from the opposite stand, I perfectly saw the missile leave and thought I heard the net ripple before the stadium erupted.

It’s in stoppage time that the tension becomes palpable. Special mention to Juventus striker Moise Kean, who gets sent off 40 seconds after coming on.

Then the stadium roars with delight as the final whistle blows.

Coming back

As if today wasn’t meant to be easy, the phone network is struggling due to the crowds, and I can’t figure out which transport to take. So I decide to start walking back until I find a subway station.

No luck, it’s Sunday, and at 11 PM the subway is already closed.

That means a good hour of walking to get home. But an Rome by night on a Sunday evening is far from unpleasant.