So maybe there is some hope for
Evan Ferguson after all....
IRELAND striker Evan Ferguson made his competitive debut for Roma in their Serie A season opener against Bologna at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday night. New boss Gian Piero Gasperini wasted no ti…
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ROMAN ACE
Roma fans compare Evan Ferguson to Argentina legend as Republic of Ireland striker impresses during Serie A debut
Fans claim Brighton star Evan Ferguson is the “regen” of Argentina legend Gabriel Batistuta
- Published: 22:03, 23 Aug 2025
- Updated: 21:43, 24 Aug 2025
IRELAND striker
Evan Ferguson made his competitive debut for Roma in their Serie A season opener against Bologna at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday night.
New boss Gian Piero Gasperini wasted no time showing his faith in the
Bettystown striker as he handed the
Brighton loanee a starting XI place for his first league game in charge.
And Ferguson was heavily involved in the opening exchanges, creating three chances inside the first 15 minutes.
His sharp movement and crisp touches immediately caught the eye of supporters in the stands and online, and in reality could have netted a couple.
Roma fans took to social media in both English and Italian to praise the 20-year-old’s display.
One commented:
“Ferguson can cook - if he stays fit, he’ll score plenty.”
Another even compared the Meath native to the legendary Argentine Gabriel Batistuta: “Evan Ferguson is the regen [The New] of Batistuta.”
While a third said: "It started VERY WELL the and, as the minutes passed, it stalled.
"I think Gasperini's new project can show interesting things and I expect A LOT from the Dybala + Evan Ferguson partnership."
The decisive moment came in the 53rd minute when another debutant, right-back Wesley fired home to give Roma a 1-0 win.
Ferguson almost added an assist in the second half, laying off a perfect ball to Manú Koné, but the Frenchman couldn’t convert into the visitors net.
The former Bohemians ace also earned top praise from new Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini as he was awarded Man of the Match honours, too.
Gasperini admitted: “He played a great game and his condition is improving.
“He played very little last year and needs to get used to it but showed some important qualities for us.
“They're very young players with plenty of room for improvement.
"They gave a good showing of what they can do against Bologna and we saw how compact this team is.
“I noticed that in pre-season, especially abroad where it's not easy playing in full stadiums.
“He (Ferguson) has a lot of potential and will give us great satisfaction in the long run.”
Roma travel to Pisa next with expectations growing from Roma fans.
It wasn’t the fairytale goal on his first night in Rome, but the Ireland international did enough to get fans excited for what’s ahead this season.