Perth will be the centre of the Italian pre-season over coming weeks with four of the nations’ biggest clubs heading to the Western Australian capital. Series A champions Inter Milan, arch-rivals AC Milan, 36-time Italian league winners Juventus and Serie B outfit Palermo will play several matches during their time in Perth.
This won’t be the first time Italian football royalty has visited Perth, that honour goes to AS Roma who came from behind to defeat Western Australian in 1966. Fourteen years later Milan fended off a late surge to down the State team by a single goal. Some Roberto Mancini magic gained Sampdoria a hard-earnt win over Perth Glory in 1996.
Roma and Milan produced a seven-goal extravaganza when they met in an exhibition match in 2024. And Milan showed no mercy to Glory on their third trip to Perth just twelve months ago.
1966: Western Australia 2 AS Roma 4
AS Roma, one of the giants of world football at the time, took on Western Australia on July 3, 1966, in the first international football match to be played at Perry Lakes Stadium. A record crowd of 18,242 turned out to see the star-studded Italians play the final match of an unbeaten eight-game, 35-day tour of Australia.
Riccardo Da Silva gave the visiting team the lead on 29 minutes by wrong‑footing the defence to score from the edge of the 18-yard box. Barely another minute had elapsed when the State team drew level, Pawel Sobek threading a pass to the feet of Rod Reid whose spinning shot slipped from the grasp of goalkeeper Alberto Ginulfi.
It looked as though an upset was on the cards when Henry Lukoszek finished into the net. But led by Sergio Carpanesi and Angelo Spanio, Roma fought back with Da Silva bringing the teams level after 70 minutes. Soon after, Carpanesi streamed forward to convert past goalkeeper Loui Ivanoff and close to the end Wally Musial had the misfortune of sending the ball into his own net.
1980: Western Australia 2 AC Milan 3
AC Milan fended off a late surge by Western Australia to claim a 3-2 win from an entertaining game at the WACA Ground on June 1, 1980. The match came at a bleak time for the Rossoneri who, just over a week earlier and while in the middle of their Australian tour, were found guilty of match fixing and demoted to Italy’s second tier.
A tight first half was punctuated on 20 minutes when Guiseppe Galauzzo converted a cross. Milan’s increased tempo after the break was rewarded on 57 minutes when Gabrello Carrotti drilling a penalty low into the net. Soon after Roberto Antonelli beat the offside trap and placed past an exposed goalkeeper Willie McNally.
Frank Smerilli signalled the start of a late comeback by the State team by unleashing a shot from 20-metres which flew past ‘keeper Francesco Navazotti with 82 minutes on the clock. And shortly after substitute Dave Fidoe got the last touch in a frantic goalmouth scramble to make it three-two and set-up a tense final few minutes.
1996: Perth Glory 0 Sampdoria 3
The great Roberto Mancici worked his magic to earn Sampdoria a 3-0 win over Perth Glory in the Centenary Cup challenge match, played on May 20, 1996, at the WACA Ground. The Sven-Goran Eriksson coached side arrived in town only two years after winning the Coppa Italia, and four years after lifting the European Cup Winners’ Cup.
The visitors took some time to adapt to the wet surface but one they found their balance there was no stopping them. With 20 minutes gone Mancici stepped into the spotlight, running onto Filippo Maniero’s pass to slide in the first goal, much to the delight of the 10,000-plus strong crowd.
Glory’s Gareth Naven had Matteo Sereni scrambling in the 69th minute to keep out his drive from distance. Four minutes later Mancici erased any hope of a comeback by wrong-footing a defender and curling a stunning right-foot shot past Tommy Maras from 18-metres. Substitute Vincenzo Jacopino put away Sampdoria’s third goal on 90 minutes.
2024: AC Milan 2 AS Roma 5
AS Roma celebrated their first visit to Perth in almost six decades by thumping AC Milan 5-2 in a blockbuster exhibition match on May 31, 2024. The crowd of 56,522 that turned out at Optus Stadium were treated to a game sprinkled with moments of splendid quality between two of Serie A’s genuine powers.
A stunning, first time strike by Theo Hernandez that flew low into the net on 37 minutes was the highlight of a low-intensity first half. Tommaso Baldanzi had given Roma the lead eight minutes earlier. And just before half-time through Tammy Abraham restored I Lupi’s advantage by slamming in Angelino’s low delivery.
Goals rained down after the interval. Angelino made it 3-1 in the 54th minute only for Milan substitute Noah Okafor to pull one back a minute later. Paulo Dybala then arrowed through a sea of legs to make it three goals in four minutes. A vicious strike by Sardar Azmoun completed the scoring with just under fifteen minutes to go.
2025: Perth Glory 0 AC Milan 9
AC Milan made Perth the final stop on their 2025 Asia-Pacific tour, which included matches in Hong Kong and Singapore. The Rossoneri bedazzled and rang rings around Perth Glory to score a resounding 9-0 victory in front 19,226 spectators at Perth Oval on the evening of July 31.
Milan’s supremacy in almost every aspect of the game was obvious from the opening whistle. Filippo Terracciano opened the visitors account after only 3 minutes before Noah Okafor struck twice in three minutes midway through the first half. Christian Comotto and Samuel Chukwueze took the gap five goals.
The second half was just 15 seconds old when Rafael Leao slotted in number six for Milan, who’d made eleven changes at the break. A bullet-like strike by Samuele Ricci, Yunus Musah’s angled finish and a second from Leao close the final whistle saw the margin blow out.
The week-long Calcio Italiano kicks off with Milan taking on crosstown rivals Inter at Optus Stadium on Wednesday August 5. It will be the first time Inter has played in Australia and I Nerazzurri will stay for a second outing, rekindling a century-old national rivalry with Juventus at the same venue on Saturday August 8.
Palermo will also make their first appearance in Australia when they take on A-League club Melbourne City at Sam Kerr Football Centre on Friday August 7. Palermo and Juventus fans will get a second chance to see their clubs in action when they go head-to-head on Tuesday August 11 at HBF Park.