Tammy Abraham took his Roma tally to 15 goals with his first strike in the Coppa Italia on January 20th.
Abraham has continued a quick start to scoring for Roma, reaching the landmark in fewer appearances than any striker for the club, other than Gabriel Batistuta and Vincenzo Montella. Not bad company to be in.
Confidence remaining high, the English striker scored at the first time of asking as he made his Coppa Italia debut (which was his 29th Roma appearance overall).
Abraham is therefore one of nine Roma players in the 21st Century to have scored in their first ever appearance in the tournament. Here they all are.
2005 – Shabani Nonda
Shabani Nonda spent time playing in Switzerland and France before entering Italian football with Roma in 2005.
He scored four league goals in his only season with the club, but managed to find the net both times he represented Roma in the Coppa Italia.
The first was in a 3-0 win over Napoli in December 2005, while the next was in the second leg of that season’s final, which Roma lost to Inter.
2005 – Stefano Okaka
In the same game, Stefano Okaka became the youngest scorer in Coppa Italia history when he netted against Napoli at the age of 16 years and 121 days.
The striker was yet to make his Serie A debut at that stage, but did have a UEFA Cup appearance under his belt.
It was the Coppa Italia that allowed him to get off the mark, but he has actually never scored again in the competition despite representing three other clubs in it.
2008 – Ludovic Giuly
After previous experiences in France and Spain, Ludovic Giuly spent a sole season in Italy for the 2007-08 campaign.
Roma would go on to win the Coppa Italia that season, with Giuly playing six of the seven matches – including the final – just missing the first leg of the Round of 16 against Torino.
He scored in the last minute of the second leg though, when debuting in the competition. His only other goals for the club would all come in Serie A (six) or the Champions League (one).
2012 – Erik Lamela
Embed from Getty ImagesAfter marking his Serie A debut with a goal in October 2011, Lamela did the same on his first showing in the cup later that season.
In fact, he netted a double, putting Roma 2-0 up against Fiorentina before the lead extended by a further goal.
They ended up being his only Coppa Italia goals despite four further appearances across two successful individual seasons.
2013 – Vasilis Torosidis
Leaving his native Greece for the first time to join Roma in January 2013, Vasilis Torosidis scored once each in the league and cup in his first half-season.
The cup goal came against Inter in the semi-final, from which Roma progressed (although sadly the final would be one to forget). Torosidis’ strike on the half-volley was a belter, too.
The following season shared the same pattern for the Greek full-back, with one goal apiece in Serie A and the Coppa Italia.
2015 – Juan Manuel Iturbe
When Juan Manuel Iturbe arrived at Roma in 2014, he had a year of Italian experience under his belt with Hellas Verona, but he had never played in the cup for his former side.
It took him just five minutes to get off the mark, though, when appearing in the competition for the first time in a Roma win over Empoli that eventually took extra time despite his early opener from close range.
Unfortunately, Iturbe’s Roma career never really got off the ground; his only Coppa Italia goal was one of just five he managed in all competitions across one-and-a-half seasons before being loaned away and eventually sold.
2019 – Ivan Marcano
Although he seemed like a sensible signing at the time, Ivan Marcano had a minimal impact at Roma after joining in 2018.
It was not his job to score, but he did get off the mark with a solitary goal for the club in a 4-0 win over Virtus Entella for Eusebio Di Francesco’s side.
The defender went on to leave at the end of that season.
2021 – Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Embed from Getty ImagesHenrikh Mkhitaryan did not play in the Coppa Italia in his first Roma season, but did in the second. It was a day those at the club would rather forget, but are unlikely to any time soon.
Mkhitaryan was one of the scorers in the 4-2 defeat to Spezia, forcing extra time with his side’s second. But his goal technically did not stand since the game was awarded as a 3-0 walkover win for the opponents after Roma made too many subs.
Still, the goal counts for Mkhitaryan’s personal records. It was a pleasant one, too, as he dinked the ball over the keeper after a give-and-go.
2022 – Tammy Abraham
After reaching consecutive FA Cup finals with Chelsea, Tammy Abraham arrived at Roma in the summer of 2021 looking to develop his game further in Italy.
Scorer of four goals from three FA Cup games in his last Chelsea season, the Englishman picked up from where he left off by marking his Coppa Italia bow with a well-taken goal.
After impressing in Serie A and the Europa Conference League, Abraham added to his Roma repertoire with a strike that displayed his power and confidence, finding the net from the edge of the box to put Roma in the lead against Lecce, which they built upon to reach the quarter-finals.
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