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It wasn’t to be on the night, but there was a special moment for 16-year-old debutant Antonio Arena during Roma’s 3-2 defeat by Torino in the Coppa Italia on Tuesday night: Scoring with his first touch in senior football.
Roma were knocked out of the Coppa Italia at the round of 16 stage after goals from Che Adams and Emirhan Ilkhan at the Stadio Olimpico, which means that they miss out on a cup quarter final against Inter in February.
You can see how the action from Tuesday’s cup clash unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog.
It was at times a hectic, end-to-end affair between the Giallorossi and the Granata in the capital. Mairo Hermoso had already turned the game on its head with an equaliser 30 seconds after coming off the bench.
But, the moment of the game fell for 16-year-old Arena, on for his senior debut against Torino. The Italy youth international leapt in the middle of the area and converted Wesley cross with a brilliantly-taken header with what was his first touch in the professional game.
“His first touch in professional football for Roma!” 😱😱
16-year-old Antonio Arena with a fairytale moment to keep Roma’s Coppa Italia hopes alive 👏 pic.twitter.com/18j4vuyp0W
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) January 13, 2026
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