Roma at Everton — Terrace Edition

Words: Imma Rhamely Borrelli

Images: Imma Rhamely Borrelli

I arrive at Liverpool Lime Street station on a morning train from London. The city welcomes me with the morning light, filled with anticipation for this day.

After the first three trial matches since the start of 2025, necessary to test the stadium's safety, Everton's new stadium, Hill Dickinson, will be inaugurated today with a friendly against Roma.

The streets are dominated by blue, with the fans' shirts (here and there a few Liverpool fans make an appearance), and even the sky and the city's monuments seem to have the same hue.

Many families gather in groups to head to the stadium. It's a long walk to Hill Dickinson, England's eighth-largest stadium, located on Bramley-Moore Dock in Vauxhall, an industrial area of Liverpool.

Waterloo Rd becomes Regent Rd, and along the way are pubs and even a large tobacco factory. Roma fans move among the locals, heading to the stadium.

©Imma Borrelli/ Terrace Edition. Walk to Bramley-Moore Dock.

The entrance to the stadium is an orderly cauldron that diligently branches off to the gates. The Hill Dickinson, with a capacity of 52,888, is sold out, except for the away stand, where, although a few seats remain empty, a good number of Roma fans are present, making themselves noticed by singing at the top of their lungs throughout the match, drawing mixed looks of admiration and rivalry from the home fans.

The enthusiasm of the home fans is palpable on their faces, but silent in their cheering. Only the Roma fans will be heard during the match. However, it will likely be a while before Goodison Park becomes a thing of the past and they truly feel at home in this new stadium...

If English support is typically English, the weather is no different. The sky is cloudy, it rains suddenly, and then the sun comes out brightly.

After a brief rain shower, the smell of the sea wafts in, mingling with the fresh grass of the pitch. The emotion of being here on this historic day for the Toffees, despite the match being a friendly, is truly wonderful.

As they entered the pitch, Everton and the fans sang their national anthem, while the Roma fans welcomed the team by holding up scarves and chanting "Roma, Roma, Roma."

©Imma Borrelli/ Terrace Edition. Hil Dickinson Stadium.

The game on the pitch saw early chances on both sides, but the deadlock was broken in the 69th minute with a goal from Soulè right in front of the away end, sealing the Giallorossi's victory with a final score of 0-1.

After the friendly, the two teams' legends clashed: Roma, coached by Capello, featured Amelia, Zebina, Aldair, Zago, Candela, Brighi, Pizarro, Tommasi, Perrotta, and Perotti; Delvecchio, Rosi, Maini, Balzaretti, Tonetto, D'Agostino, Di Biagio, Faty, Lima, and Scarchilli.

Everton, coached by Reid, featured Mucha; Hibbert, Jagielka, Baines; Pienaar, McCarthy, Barry, Walcott; Clarke, Johnson, Bent, McFadden, Yakubu, Naismith, Gibson, Vaughan, Baxter, and Niasse.

And the Roma fans were not lacking in support here either: it was indeed lovely to hear the old chants in support of the former Giallorossi players on the pitch, who expressed their thanks even as they waved from afar at the final salute.

The match, which lasted 50 minutes, was won by the Toffees thanks to goals from Jagielka and Naismith.

©Imma Borrelli/ Terrace Edition. AS Roma fans at Everton.

I left the stadium with the English legends who instead made a tour of the stadium and enjoyed the applause of the fans.

I resume my long walk toward Liverpool's city center, which surprises me, and I enjoy being a tourist. Among the graffiti, the music from the bustling pubs, the crowds, and the view, I don't miss something typical (and perhaps purely touristy, in fact): a Guinness at the Irish pub and a delicious English breakfast.

A full August moon in the sky, the bus whizzes past the houses, taking me out of the city centre and toward the airport.

Happiness mixed with the usual melancholy assails me at having to leave this land—with the pleasant summer coolness of my windbreaker, a truly welcome break from the Italian heat—to return to my homeland.

And every time, I promise, I'll be back soon.

©Imma Borrelli/ Terrace Edition. Everton vs AS Romas.

©Imma Borrelli/ Terrace Edition. Everton FC sign.

©Imma Borrelli/ Terrace Edition. AS Romas fans at Everton.

©Imma Borrelli/ Terrace Edition. Everton approach.

©Imma Borrelli/ Terrace Edition. Everton pre-match.

©Imma Borrelli/ Terrace Edition. Hill Dickinson Stadium.

©Imma Borrelli/ Terrace Edition. Everton vs AS Roma.

©Imma Borrelli/ Terrace Edition. Liverpool.

©Imma Borrelli/ Terrace Edition. Pints. Liverpool.

Imma is on Instagram: @rhamely

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