In what proved to be an entertaining game for all, Manchester City came out on top in dramatic circumstances on a penalty shoot-out, where Joe Hart scored one and saved two in quick succession to hand the sky Blues a much-needed extra point in their quest for pre-season glory in Australia.
The pre-match focus was all over Raheem Sterling, with his new manager Manuel Pellegrini admitting the 20-year-old winger would feature at some stage of the match, but not all of it.
The Chilean kept his word, and the 2014 Golden Boy winner did in-fact start the first 45 minutes. After just a minute, his first touch as a sky Blue saw him slip to the turf as he struggled to get the ball under control - a picture every Liverpool fan would find amusing.
However though, he silenced his critics just less than two minutes later to break the deadlock. City broke free on the counter attack, a teasing through ball by young Kelechi Iheanacho was fed towards his path and he used blistering speed to latch onto it before curling a finesse shot past Bogdan Lobont into the bottom corner of the net.
The Citizens did not have the lead for long though, as creative midfielder Miralem Pjanic levelled the scoring just five minutes afterwards. He created space for himself on the edge of the box and fired a strike goalwards, with second-choice 'keeper Willy Caballero sprawling to try and reach the effort - which rippled past him into the back of the net in some style.
David Silva, Sterling and Iheanacho's link-up play was a wonder to behold as they were the main forces for City driving forward. Silva's magic touch and skill to beat his marker, Sterling's speed and excellent dribbling as well as Iheanacho's attacking positioning and ability to frustrate opposing backlines ensured they maintained a good combination between the trio.
It stayed level at the half-time interval, but probably should not have in fairness. City had their fair share of possession in Roma's half but the majority of their efforts on-goal were either off-target or not actually troubling Lobont in the goal. Sterling had a penalty appeal waved away, as he made a significant impact on his debut.
Only two of the starting eleven continued into the second-half, with captain Vincent Kompany and Iheanacho staying on the field of play.
It was not one-one for much longer though, as Iheanacho took advantage of a half-chance to clinical effect. A poor mistake by former Arsenal and Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole, whose attempted back-pass floated towards the edge of the area, was eagerly anticipated by the 18-year-old Nigerian, who rushed towards the ball before controlling and slamming home into the net. For such a young player to anticipate a mistake like that, it emphasises great attacking position and tactical awareness to keep himself aware of the possible mistake incoming and deal with the situation calmly and effectively as opposed to rushing the shot and missing a great opportunity to score.
Roma did their utmost to try and get back into the match - and with time continuing to tick down, it looked less likely that they'd find an equaliser to send the match into a penalty shoot-out. Jason Denayer was impressive at the back for City, as was Marcos Lopes and Brandon Barker in midfield as the youngsters took the game by the scruff of the neck and were a refreshing step-up to watch in truth.
Then, out of nowhere, Roma had a free-kick in a dangerous position to strike. The Italians piled on the pressure with the edge of the box looming, and Yaya Touré was teased into making a sliding challenge on his Ivorian team-mate Seydou Doumbia, who went down and won a set-piece. Adam Ljajic stepped up to strike, and it seemed inevitable that it'd go in. He struck the ball over the free-kick wall and goalwards - instantly you knew it was on target, and Hart was helpless to stop the finish in truth as it swerved past him into the net.
A quick look up at the clock, and guess what? Only three minutes plus any stoppages remaining. Neither side wanted to lose, and even though it was a pre-season friendly, it was a testament to their work ethic and desire to win, even though the tempo all-round had dropped slightly as the second-half continued.
City rolled the dice and went forward once more, to try and snatch a late winner. But alas, it was not meant to be. Penalties, no matter how frustrating they can be, were ready to settle the fixture once and for all. Touré and Radja Nainggolan scored their spot-kicks before left-back Aleksandar Kolarov managed to sky his effort well over the crossbar after opting for power over placement. Ljajic, Jesús Navas, Mattia Destro, Lopes and former Tottenham midfielder Iago Falque all netted their respective penalties, as it was 4-3 to the Italians. Hart then stepped up, and with no hesitation slammed his penalty into the roof of the net with both power and placement before having a cheeky look back towards the City players, as if to gesticulate the perfect way to take a spot-kick.
Doumbia was up next. The former CSKA Moscow forward, who scored against City in a UEFA Champions League group stage game last term, had the opportunity to give Rudi Garcia's men the victory. However, his Panenka effort was slapped away to safety by the English 'keeper, who initially dived the wrong way but did well to recover in time and parry the effort away.
James Horsfield made it 5-4 to Pellegrini's men, before midfielder Seydou Keita - formerly of La Liga giants Barcelona - stepped up to the plate. Score, and he'd ensure the shootout continued. Miss, and City were the victors. Hart smurked before mouthing he knew where the experienced Malian was going, and guessed the right way to save his low effort which was creeping in at Joe's right-hand corner.
The City players celebrated with relief after a hard-fought game, which was enthralling and a great pre-season friendly to have with the standard of football that was played. They are up against Real Madrid next on Friday, before their pre-season tour of Australia ends.