Italian striker Stefano Okaka has detailed how the 7-1 loss to Manchester United during his time at Roma is the one game of his career he’ll “never forget”.
The Istanbul Basaksehir striker has been talking about his career so far to Cronache di Spogliatoio, relayed by Forza Roma, during which the famous clash with Manchester United was a topic.
He was a part of the Roma squad that took on United in the Champions League quarterfinals in 2007, vying for a place in the last four of the competition.
They headed to the second leg at Old Trafford full of confidence following a superb performance in Rome that had seen them picked up a 2-1 win against their Premier League counterparts.
They were quickly blown away by Manchester United, though, who put in a scintillating display of attacking football to take hold of the tie and ensure it was they who went through.
That defeat remains one of the darkest days in Roma’s history, and Okaka, who only played a brief part in proceedings, admits it’s a game he’ll never forget.
“I will never forget the 7-1 against Mancheester United. I’ve never seen anything like it in my 20-year career,” he said.
“Even Totti and De Rossi were shocked. Before the game United were very quiet. Ready, go. After 20 minutes we were losing 3-0.
“They had the movement, Rooney was amazing, he looked like a hundred-metre runner. Cristiano Ronaldo was a good show for everyone, but a very bad show for us.
“At 7-1 Spalletti gave me the satisfaction of playing a Champions League quarter-final, moreover at Old Trafford and against phenomena of that calibre.
“When I came in there was a minute to go, I thought, ‘OK, I’ll take this experience and that’s the end of it’. At the end of the game, we were all shocked.”
