EN
Home News

On this Day in 1961: Roma lift a European trophy!

Fairs

On 11 October 1961 Roma beat English club Birmingham City to win the Inter Cities Fairs Cup - the club's first ever European trophy.

The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup - a competition that ran from 1955 to 1971 - was created to involve some of the major cities of European culture during the period, with Roma invited to compete in the 1960-61 event.

Coach Luis Carniglia's side beat Belgium's Union Saint-Gilloise (4-1 on aggregate) and a Cologne XI (4-1 in a play-off after drawing 4-4 on aggregate) to reach the semi-finals, where they were drawn to face Scottish side Hibernian.

After a dramatic 5-5 draw after two legs, the Giallorossi won a third meeting 6-0 to reach the final.

There they faced Birmingham, who had lost in the final of the previous edition of the Fairs Cup to Barcelona but had subsequently gone on to win the 1961 FA Cup.

Carniglia's men secured a 2-2 draw at St Andrew's, ensuring a packed crowd at the Stadio Olimpico for the deciding match.

In a hard-fought battle it took nearly an hour for Roma to break the deadlock, thanks to an own goal from unlucky Blues defender Brian Farmer, before Paolo Pestrin's glorious last-minute finish clinched a 2-0 win on the day and 4-2 aggregate triumph.

Captain Giacomo Losi then lifted what was, and the remains, the club's only European silverware to date.

See the story of the second leg - and the key highlights - in the special video below!

This content is provided by a third party. Because of the choice you have made about cookies on our website, the external site does not have permission to display here.
If you would like to see the content, please change your cookie choices using either of the buttons shown.

11 October 1961
Inter Cities Fairs Cup Final

ROMA 2-0 BIRMINGHAM CITY
(Roma win 4-2 on aggregate)

Goalscorers: Farmers o.g. (56'), Pestrin (90')

Roma: Cudicini, Fontana, Corsini, Pestrin, Losi, Carpanesi, Orlando, Lojacono, Manfredini, Angelillo, Menichelli.

Birmingham City: Schofield, Farmers, Sissons, Hennessey, Smith, Beard, Hellawell, Bloomfield, Harris, Orritt, Singer.

Attendance: 60,000