The Derby della Capitale isn’t just a football match. It’s a citywide event that divides families, friendships, and entire neighbourhoods. Rome becomes two cities for a week before each derby — Romanisti and Laziali occupying the same streets, the same bars, the same offices, but existing in entirely different emotional universes.

I’ve been going to derbies since my father first took me to the Olimpico in 1998. I’ve seen Roma win, I’ve seen Roma lose, and I’ve experienced the particular agony of watching Roma throw away a lead in the 90th minute with 40,000 Romanisti holding their heads in disbelief.

These are the five derby matches that, for me, define what this rivalry means.

1. Roma 5-1 Lazio, November 2002

The most beautiful demolition in derby history. Roma were magnificent. Totti was in the form of his life, orchestrating everything from his position behind the striker. Cassano — young, arrogant, impossibly talented — scored a goal that was equal parts skill and pure cheek.

But the goal I remember most is Montella’s third. A quick passing combination through Lazio’s midfield, a perfectly weighted through ball, and Montella slotting it past the keeper with the calm of a man ordering coffee. The Curva Sud erupted in a way I’ve only experienced three or four times in my life.

The 5-1 scoreline flattered Roma, if anything — Lazio had actually started well and went ahead before Roma turned the match on its head. The psychological swing from 0-1 to 5-1 was devastating. You could see Lazio’s players stop running in the second half, which in a derby is the ultimate humiliation.

La Gazzetta dello Sport described it as “il derby perfetto.” They weren’t wrong.

2. Roma 3-2 Lazio, January 2015

This was the Totti derby. His last great derby performance. Roma were 1-2 down with fifteen minutes remaining, the Curva Sud was anxious rather than loud, and Lazio were controlling the game.

Then Totti, at 38 years old, produced two moments that proved age is irrelevant when you’re Francesco Totti. A free kick that curled over the wall and into the top corner — the kind of free kick he’d been scoring since 1993 — to make it 2-2. Then, in the 88th minute, a penalty won by his own run into the box, which he converted with the minimum of fuss.

He celebrated by running to the Curva Sud and posing for a selfie. The photo went viral. The image captured something essential about Totti: he understood the spectacle of football, the relationship between player and crowd, in a way that transcended statistics.

3. Lazio 0-1 Roma, April 2010

Not a classic in terms of quality, but this match mattered enormously. Roma were chasing Inter for the Scudetto, and a loss or draw in the derby would have effectively ended their title challenge.

The tension was unbearable. Both teams cancelled each other out for 70 minutes in a match that resembled trench warfare more than football. Lazio were clearly content with a draw that would damage Roma’s title hopes, and their defensive discipline was excellent.

The goal, when it came, was almost cruel in its simplicity. A corner, a scramble, and Mexes heading in from close range. The stadium split in half — one end celebrating as if they’d won the Champions League, the other falling silent.

Roma didn’t win the Scudetto that year. Inter’s treble-winning season was unstoppable. But the derby victory kept the dream alive for a few more weeks, and that’s sometimes enough.

4. Roma 3-0 Lazio, September 2018

The significance of this match was partly footballing and partly political. In the weeks before the derby, a banner had appeared at Lazio’s training ground that caused national controversy. The atmosphere around the match was toxic even by derby standards.

Roma’s response was to play their best football of the season. A composed, controlled performance that suffocated Lazio from the first whistle. The pressing was intense, the passing was sharp, and Roma scored three goals that each felt like a statement.

According to the Serie A match report, Roma had 63% possession — an extraordinary figure for a derby, where possession usually splits close to 50-50 due to the emotional intensity overriding tactical discipline.

What I remember most is the silence from the Curva Nord at full time. In a derby, the winning team’s celebration is sweet. The losing team’s silence is sweeter.

5. Roma 2-2 Lazio, March 2019

This might seem like an odd choice — a draw that pleased nobody. But this match encapsulated the emotional chaos of the Derby della Capitale better than any other.

Roma went 1-0 up through an early header. The Curva Sud was in full voice. Then Lazio equalised against the run of play. Then Roma went 2-1 up in the second half through a penalty. Then Lazio equalised again in injury time.

The final whistle produced one of the strangest emotions I’ve experienced at a football match — relief, anger, frustration, and a grudging acceptance that you’d just watched an absolutely compelling 90 minutes of sport, even though you wanted to throw something at the pitch.

The derby does this to you. It takes your emotions, puts them in a blender, and hands you the result. You drink it because you’re a Romanista and you don’t have a choice.

Why the Derby Matters

There are bigger derbies in world football — the Superclasico, the Old Firm, El Clasico. Some might say there are better ones. But the Derby della Capitale has something unique: it’s played in a city where football isn’t just the most popular sport — it’s the primary form of civic identity.

In Milan, you can escape football by going to the opera or the fashion industry. In Rome, there is no escape. The city lives and breathes this rivalry fifty-two weeks a year.

The next derby is circled on my calendar in red. It always is.

Luca Bianchi has been watching Roma since 1998 and writing about them for considerably less time.