Australian Teen Makes Stunning Debut Impact for Roma

Australian football has a new rising star to follow after teenager Antonio Arena made an immediate and eye-catching impact on his debut for Roma.

The 16-year-old was introduced from the bench in the 80th minute of Roma’s Coppa Italia round-of-16 tie against Torino on Tuesday and scored with his very first touch for the Serie A side.

Arena calmly rose to head past Torino goalkeeper Alberto Paleari just a minute later, levelling the match at 2-2 in the 81st minute and briefly igniting hopes of a comeback for the hosts.

Despite the young Australian’s heroics, Torino went on to secure a dramatic 3-2 victory thanks to a 90th-minute winner from Emirhan Ilkhan.

Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini praised Arena’s performance after the match, highlighting the teenager’s maturity and competitive mindset.

“I’m happy about these very young players — one is 16 years old and it’s an important process for him,” Gasperini said.

“He is certainly a player with a great competitive drive despite his young age. He has a lot of energy to offer and is not afraid to put himself out there. He is already playing for national youth teams.”

Born in Sydney, Arena holds dual citizenship and has represented both Australia and Italy at youth international level.

He began his development in Australia with A-League Men club Western Sydney Wanderers before moving to Italy to join Pescara. Arena made his senior and professional debut for Pescara last year in a 4-1 Serie C victory over Lucchese, scoring the club’s fourth goal.

At 16 years and 25 days old, he became the first player born in 2009 to score in professional football in Italy, as well as Pescara’s youngest-ever goalscorer.

In July 2025, Arena completed a move to Serie A side Roma, with his appearance against Torino marking his first outing for the club.

Arena has also gained experience on the international stage. In 2024, he made his debut for Australia’s under-16 team in a 4-3 friendly win over Switzerland, before being called up the following year to represent Italy’s under-16 side in a series of international friendlies.