Mattia Destro and Alessandro Florenzi hit one apiece for Roma in a 2-0 win over Cagliari that sent the Giallorossi to the top of Serie A thanks to superior goals difference on Sunday (Sep 21).
AS Roma’s Alessandro Florenzi (R) fights for the ball with Cagliari’s Luca Rossettini. (AFP/Alberto Pizzoli)
MILAN: Mattia Destro and Alessandro Florenzi hit one apiece for Roma in a 2-0 win over Cagliari that sent the Giallorossi to the top of Serie A thanks to superior goals difference on Sunday (Sep 21).
Champions Juventus had gone clear of the pack thanks to a 1-0 win over AC Milan on Saturday when Carlos Tevez’s 71st minute strike made the difference between the sides at a packed-out San Siro.
However Roma, 5-1 winners over CSKA Moscow in midweek, continued their fine start to the season with a dominant performance in front of a sparse crowd at the Olympic Stadium.
“We put the same ingredients into this game as we did in our meeting with CSKA in midweek, and it worked,” Roma coach Rudi Garcia told Sky Sports.
“We had several players missing but we managed the game really well. We got early goals from Destro and Florenzi and we’ve yet to concede after three league games. Winning today was very important. It has allowed us to pull three points ahead of Milan.”
With Roma now back in the Champions League, Garcia rested Francesco Totti and Miralem Pjanic while Davide Astori, Juan Iturbe and Leandro Castan were all missing through injury.
Garcia handed Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa his full debut, the France defender partnering Kostas Manolas at the heart of Roma’s defence with Ashley Cole and Maicon.
Cagliari, now coached by former Roma handler Zdenek Zeman, were looking for their first win of the campaign but from the early stages the Sardinians had their backs to the wall.
After just 10 minutes Florenzi drew the Cagliari defence before rolling a low cross towards the back post, where Destro, unmarked, fired past 20-year-old Serie A debutant Alessio Cragno from close range.
Two minutes later Roma were celebrating again, Seydou Keita sighting Gervinho in space as Cagliari tried to spring the offside trap.
The Ivorian took possession and beat his marker before laying off for Florenzi to beat Cragno with a precise angled strike from the right of goal.
Florenzi celebrated in some style, jumping over a barrier and leaping into the stands to hug his 82-year-old grandmother – and earning a yellow card for his trouble upon his return to the pitch.
“She’d never been to the stadium, and told me after watching an Italy game that she’d come to see me play,” explained Florenzi. “I promised that if she came and I scored, I would go and give her a hug. So I had to keep my promise.”
Elsewhere, Mauricio Pinilla struck three minutes from the end to hand Genoa a 1-0 home win over Lazio to give Gian Piero Gasperini’s side their first win of the season.
Lazio dominated at the Luigi Ferraris stadium but failed to turn chances into goals and when Stefan de Vrij received a second yellow card for a handling offence the hosts capitalised on their man advantage three minutes from time.
Sassuolo hosted high-flying Sampdoria looking to make amends for a 7-0 whipping by Inter Milan last week and escaped with a point from a scoreless draw.
Earlier, Antonio Cassano hit a brace for injury-hit Parma to help claim their first win of the season with a 3-2 defeat of hosts Chievo.
Cassano dedicated his goals to fellow Parma striker Jonathan Biabiany, who has been stopped from playing indefinitely after being diagnosed with a heart problem.
Cassano, who himself underwent a heart operation in 2011, said: “Of course I dedicate my goals to Biabiany, who is someone I really care about. I hope he can get back on his feet as soon as possible. I understand what he’s going through.”
Napoli’s stuttering season continued with a 1-0 defeat away to Udinese where Brazilian defender Danilo slid in at the back post to send Kalidou Koulibaly’s wayward header past ‘keeper Rafael Cabral.
Napoli have dropped to sixth from bottom, with Andrea Stramaccioni’s Udinese now up to fourth.
“Until the goal Rafael didn’t have a save to make,” lamented Napoli handler Rafael Benitez. “It’s a shame because we had the match under control and had plenty of
Fiorentina also moved up the table thanks to a first win of the campaign secured by Jasmin Kurtic’s 58th minute strike away to Atalanta.
In Sunday’s late games Mateo Kovacic struck for Inter Milan just before the break to level Franco Vazquez’s third-minute strike after he had dispossessed defender Nemanja Vidic to slot the ball past Samir Handanovic. Inter spurned a late chance to take the points when Stefano Sorrrentino palmed Pablo Daniel Osvaldo’s header out from under the bar.
Verona, meanwhile, moved up to third place thanks to a 1-0 defeat of winless Torino thanks to Artur Ionita’s 66th minute strike. Torino could have levelled late but Omar El Kaddouri saw his 88th minute penalty saved by Rafael.
Source AFP
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