Roma and the ex’s curse: after Bove, Lukaku and Zaniolo, will it be Abraham’s turn on Sunday?

First Bove, then Lukaku and finally Zaniolo. The curse of the ex’s goal this year looms over Trigoria, almost like a fixed tax to be paid at every Giallorossi toll. And this is also why in Rome everyone is already making a bit of conjuration for next Sunday’s match, when at San Siro Tammy Abraham will meet Roma for the first time as an opponent. Many are ready to bet that his goal will also arrive, because then when a curse becomes a curse there is no taboo that can hold. Milan-Roma could be the counter-test, with Roma fans hoping to have already paid their dues sufficiently.

The precedents

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The first to score against the Giallorossi this year was Edoardo Bove, who among other things has in common with Tammy Abraham the fact that he is still owned by Roma. Bove scored in that Fiorentina-Roma 5-1 match last October 27th, when after giving two winning assists to Beltran and Kean he also scored the goal that made it 4-1, the one that effectively closed the games. Then Romelu Lukaku arrived on November 24th. The Belgian is running his engine at low speed this year, but one of his six goals (in 17 games) was scored against his former teammates. Obviously a decisive goal, the one that decided the 1-0 in favor of Antonio Conte’s team. Finally Nicolò Zaniolo, who ended the match in Roma-Atalanta 0-2 on 2 December, after de Roon’s initial goal. Complete with a polemical celebration, which came after the torrent of boos that welcomed Tirana’s hero of the night (Conference League victory) onto the pitch. And fortunately it then went better with the likes of Fabio Borini (in the Italian Cup match against Sampdoria), Andrea Belotti (even if Roma were shipwrecked in Como…) and Matteo Cancellieri (who entered the final of Roma-Parma), but we are obviously talking about players of different caliber (and also different situations) compared to those who preceded them.

At San Siro

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And so on Sunday there is curiosity to understand how it will end with Tammy Abraham, someone who in his three Giallorossi seasons has scored a total of 37 goals in 120 games. He started off very strong in his first year, with those 27 goals which still represent the record for a player in his first year with the Giallorossi. Then he stopped, with just ten goals in the next two seasons, also thanks to the bad knee injury he had. So far with Milan he has scored 5 goals in 15 games, on Sunday he should be the one to lead the Rossoneri attack. Hunting – precisely – for a goal that would leave its mark. Also because Tammy is still owned by Roma and in June we will need to understand what his future (and also that of Saelemaekers) will be. In the meantime, however, the Englishman wants to score, also to make himself regret a little. And after Bove, Lukaku and Zaniolo, many in Rome fear that it could really happen…