With UEFA confirming that they hope European leagues can finish by the end of June, the Serie A season is set to last a little longer than usual.
Roma have not played since their 4-3 win over Cagliari on 1st March, a result that strengthened their hold on fifth place after a difficult start to 2020.
Just as things were looking up again, the outbreak of the coronavirus in Italy forced all action to be suspended, meaning there will be a lot to fit in once sport resumes.
Roma have 12 league games left to play, while they remain in the Europa League after their tie with Sevilla was postponed.
A UEFA statement has confirmed that they are aiming for the season to finish by the end of June. It won’t be the first time Roma have played in the sixth month – with the results over the years bringing some famous moments.
Here are 10 memorable matches played in the month of June.
Roma v Parma (Serie A, 17th June 2001)
Embed from Getty ImagesThe last time Roma played a league game in June, they elevated themselves to glory. 18 years had passed since their last Serie A trophy, but Fabio Capello’s men capped off an excellent season by beating Parma on the last day to win their third Scudetto.
The front three of Francesco Totti, Vincenzo Montella and Gabriel Batistuta had worked wonders all year, with 46 goals between them – and each got on the scoresheet against Parma to ensure Roma finished in top spot.
Sampdoria v Roma (Coppa Italia final, 9th June 1991)
While Ottavio Bianchi’s first season in charge of Roma ended in an underwhelming ninth-place finish in Serie A, the new coach was able to guide the club to two cup finals.
They fell narrowly short against Inter Milan in the UEFA Cup in May, but things had a more positive ending in the Coppa Italia the month after.
With Roma 3-1 up from May’s first leg of the final against Sampdoria, the 1-1 draw in the return fixture was enough to give them the silverware. Rudi Voller’s penalty was cancelled out by an Aldair own goal, but the 4-2 aggregate win saw Roma lift their only trophy of the 1990s.
Roma v Sampdoria (Coppa Italia final, 14th June 1986)
The last time Roma had won the Coppa Italia had also been a June finale, with Sampdoria the victims once again. On that occasion, Roma had to overcome a first leg deficit, after the Blucerchiati had won 2-1 the week before.
When the two sides reconvened at Stadio Olimpico for the second leg, a penalty from Stefano Desideri drew them level in the tie, before a last-minute goal from Toninho Cerezo gave Sven-Goran Eriksson his only trophy as Roma coach.
Roma v Verona (Coppa Italia final, 26th June 1984)
Eriksson’s predecessor, compatriot Nils Liedholm, had overseen Roma’s most successful era of all-time in the early 1980s. The Giallorossi missed the chance to win their first European Cup after a penalty shootout loss to Liverpool in the final, but Liedholm went out on something of a high note by winning his last game in charge.
Roma had six Coppa Italia games to go after the heartbreak of the European Cup loss, starting with the two-legged quarter-final on 7th June. The final was also over two legs, with Verona holding them to a 1-1 draw in the away leg.
On an emotional evening, in what would prove to be not only Liedholm’s but also captain Agostino Di Bartolomei’s last game for the club, an own goal gave Roma a 1-0 win at Stadio Olimpico to give the pair one last trophy together.
Roma v Blackpool (Anglo-Italian Cup final, 24th June 1972)
1972 was the third year in which Roma competed in the Anglo-Italian Cup, and thanks to a 3-1 win over Blackpool in the June final, was the only year in which they won the competition.
Teams from England and Italy faced off, with the one from each country that gained the most points being paired up in the final. A pair of wins over Stoke City and a draw with Carlisle United ensured Roma booked their place in the showdown.
In front of their Stadio Olimpico faithful, goals from Renato Cappellini, Francesco Scaratti and Gianfranco Zigoni gave Helenio Herrera’s side the trophy.
Roma v Inter (Trofeo Nazionale di Lega Armando Picchi final, 29th June 1971)
The Anglo-Italian Cup wasn’t the only minor trophy Roma won in that era. The season before, they emerged victorious in the sole edition of the Trofeo Nazionale di Lega Armando Picchi, a competition organised in memory of the Juventus coach who died that May.
Roma, Inter, Juventus and Cagliari competed in a round robin format, with the first two then playing out a final having gained more points than the latter.
Cappellini scored six minutes into the game, with what turned out to be the decisive goal – giving short-term coach Luciano Tessari a glimpse of the glory he would experience a few years later as Nils Liedholm’s assistant.
Foggia v Roma (Coppa Italia, 29th June 1969)
The 1969 Coppa Italia was decided via a final group phase, most of which took place in June, with Roma needing to avoid defeat on the last matchday against Foggia to lift the trophy.
Future Scudetto-winning coach Fabio Capello, 11 days after his 23rd birthday, scored a brace, before captain Joaquin Peiro added a third to ensure Roma got their hands on the Cup for the second time in their history.
Roma v Siracusa (Serie B, 15th June 1952)
Roma have only spent one season in their history outside the top division, and thanks largely to their game against Siracusa on the penultimate matchday, ensured that tally would be staying singular.
Promotion back to Serie A was practically confirmed after a 6-0 win, which left Roma two points ahead of the only team that could catch them, Brescia.
Sune Andersson’s brace either side of half-time was followed up by a second half onslaught, with goals from Amos Cardarelli, Renzo Merlin, Carlo Galli and Adriano Zecca moving Roma onto 52 points, with a goal difference of +38.
In those days, a win was worth two points rather than three, and goal difference was more important than head-to-head records (which Brescia would have edged, having beaten Roma 1-0 in their first meeting and drawn 0-0 upon their return).
Hence, Roma simply needed to avoid a huge defeat to secure promotion, as Brescia’s goal difference was largely inferior. The promotion challengers would have required a 20-goal swing to overtake Roma.
Even that would not have been enough, though, thanks to the otherwise forgettable 0-0 draw with Verona on 22nd June ensuring Roma mathematically could not be caught.
Roma v Milan (Serie A, 17th June 1951)
Even in the season before, which had seen Roma demoted to Serie B, they refused to go down on a negative note. The last day saw them conclude a three-game unbeaten run with an impressive 2-1 win over champions AC Milan, with captain Armando Tre Re getting the last goal of the season after an own goal had given Roma the lead.
Alas, it was too little, too late, as Padova’s win over Napoli on the same day meant that Roma could not escape the relegation zone. However, beating the league winners showed that there was still a seed of optimism for the future, with Roma’s rightful place among the elite soon to be restored.
Roma v Modena (Serie A, 14th June 1942)
This list will finish as it started – with a last-gasp title win. 15 years since their formation, Roma won their first Serie A title by beating Modena on the last day of the season.
Roma went into the final matchday one point ahead of a Torino side that would dominate the years ahead, but the Giallorossi made them wait a little longer for their moment of glory by crossing the finish line first.
As Torino slipped up with a 2-1 defeat to Fiorentina, Roma began the celebrations thanks to a 2-0 win at home to Modena – with (the original) Renato Cappellini and Ermes Borsetti’s goals clinching the club’s first Scudetto.
History had been made at the Stadio Nazionale that June night. Roma were champions of Italy.
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