Here is the squad being bussed in about 2 hours before the game
We then walked into the game and entered a whole new world. The walk was fairly long; the stadium was built for the Olympics in 86 (if I'm not mistaken) and we had to walk past the aquatics complex to get to the stadium. We heard a loud crash of a bottle breaking and then two fans started getting into each others face. It was more talking then fighting or pushing, but it was a fight. Let's just say that it was mild compared to events to come.
Guarding the first gate where they just check to see if you have a ticket, we saw a group of fans waiting of in the corner. One ducked a rope (which had a guy blocking it) and tossed his over stuffed back pack over a fence and inside the inspection gate. The security guy just overlooked it and we had just witnessed how the hooligans get their flares and bombs into the stadium. In a state of disbelief we walked in and eventually found our seats. It was probably still 2 hours before the game, but a majority of the seats were all ready filled, with a sea of red and gold on one side and a mob of blue and white filling up the other. We were at the Roma end, on a diagonal behind the cage, with one more section of Roma fans to our right, then an empty section (not for long) used to separate the respective sides and then it was into Lazio territory. Chants were being sung and flags were waving. Every few minutes, an explosion could be heard. It was a jarring noise that made me jump on more then one occasion (though by the end, we were wondering why it was quite). Fans were enticing each other and the shit talking was at its highest. There were a few security guards on the dividing walkway, trying to keep order.
The first true fight we saw took place right before the players came out to warm up. A Lazio fan threw a bomb at the Roma fans but somehow missed and the explosive landed in front of the group of security (see above right, yellow jackets). It also could have been the other way, a bomb thrown by a Roma fan that just came up short. All of a sudden there was a blast and a man recoiled to the wall. He covered his face and slowly shrunk to the ground. It was one of the security volunteers (could have been employed, there was a mix of both); soon he was surrounded by many of his comrads who inspected the damage to the face and carried him by arms and legs out of the walkway. It was serious injury, he took a blast to the face and unfortunately I have no clue what condition he is in today.
After that blast, riot control was brought into the section to create order. The order didn't last long; once their presence was acknowledged, fighting went back to normal. When the players were on the field warming up, a brawl broke out. About 30 or 40 people from both sides surged forward, breaking the human wall of riot cops and started going at it in the center. They were all trying to keep their faces hidden and many wore bandanas over their face. Many were using belts as weapons, wrapping it around their fists once or twice and swinging the metal buckle side at the "enemy." It was all out war, the refs (cops) came in and started beating on anyone they could with nightsticks but the brawl continued. It lasted a solid 3 minutes; in that time fans were falling from bludgeoning and flares were being thrown. It was utter chaos; and we still had an hour until the game!!!
Once the game began, things started to calm down. Roma was playing like crap and Lazio not playing much better. On a long through pass, a Lazio player slipped free and made a break for the goal. He buried the shot in the back of the net and Roma fans hearts sank. Lazio erupted in cheers and taunting and flairs were thrown at our side. The rest of the half was calm. Roma was relying too heavily on its top players Totti and Toni and did not play as a team.
At halftime the hooligans, reenergized and wanting blood, returned to taunting and fighting. For us at this point, the bombs and flairs were no big deal. We actually anticipated the explosions and wondered when they would come. Again when the players returned to the field, a calm overcame the crowd. Roma was tense while Lazio was trying to hold in their excitement of beating their bitter rivals. About 8 minutes into the second half, a Roma defender tackled a Lazio attacker in the corner of the box. The ref awarded Lazio with a penalty, almost assuring Roma's fate. Roma was distraught and screamed with anger at the call, knowing how much was on the line. In pure silence as both sides watched on, Julio Sergio made an unbelievable save that invigorated the rest of the team. The coach made a questionable call by subbing Totti out for another player. The momentum had shifted and things were looking up for the squad in red. They were playing unselfishly and things were finally starting to click. Around the 65th minute, a tackle was committed right in front of Lazio's goalie box. There was hope!! Vucinic took aim and fired a bullet that went screaming into the back of the net. The game was tied!!! The fans went nuts; people all around us started shaking us and screaming and screaming songs back at Lazio. The requisite fighting and bombings took place again and then play resumed. From that point onwards, Roma kept its stride, they controlled the pace of play and things looked easier for them. Nearly 15 minutes later, coming off a corner kick, a Lazio player took a Roma attacker down in the box. The whistle was blown and the penalty was given. Vucinic was elected to take this shot, which he promptly shot past the goalie. He celebrated by running to our section and doing a soccer equivalent of the Lambeau leap. More players came over to congratulate him and celebrate while men in suits (coaches) ran over to separate the extremely valuable athletes from the lowly fans. With a 2-1 lead, Roma outlasted the Lazio's final attempts to equalize.
After final whistle was blown, the fans in blue and white quickly deserted the stands while Roma bursted into song and celebration. It would be there toughest game and they were well on their way to winning the Scudetto (the italian serie A top team of the year). Players took of their jerseys and through them to fans, while some supporters jumped the railings and rushed the field. Players were rushed into the locker room to avoid danger, but returned 5 minutes later for an encore. We stood around and joined in on songs and in the happiness.
We eventually left and hoped to meet up with Dan and Jake at the cafe we had hung out earlier. We got out of the stadium with no problem, but encountered some while still in the gates. I bought a Roma scarf to remember the moment, and all of a sudden we heard screams and footsteps. We followed suit and ran as fast as we could without looking back. It was utter chaos, women were looking for things to hide behind and men were looking for weapons. We ran about 300 yards until things subsided. 3 swat vans pulled past us and set up a barricade from the violence. To this day we don't know what happened at that point, but after talking to Dan and Jake we found out that they were about a quarter of a mile in front of us and had to run as well. So something big happened between the hooligans. From then on everything was easy. It was packed in the streets with everyone honking their cars in celebration. It took forever to get a bus, but once we were on we were fine, until we got back to centro. Near Piazza Venenzia (the largest and busiest piazza in Rome) we couldn't move. Buses were stopped and couldn't navigate through the sea of celebrating fans. We decided to join in and hopped out of the bus.
It was a lot of fun and a great way to end the night. It was full of panic, joy, terror, despair, ecstasy, and happiness. I am so glad I went on to the game and didn't chicken out because of the danger. My prayers are with those that were hurt and whose families were damaged during the game. To my knowledge, this includes the security guard who I mentioned before, a mother and a daughter who had to run to get out of their car as it exploded seconds later (from a moltov cocktail), a man whose throat was slit, and two that were stabbed. Fortunately no deaths, but the violence was definitely present.
I am sorry for the lack of posts and apologize for the future sporadic posting. School is officially done (bittersweet) and I have been traveling. Please stay tuned.
