Roma pips Napoli, ends 4-month home misery
Print Edition
AS Roma ended its four-month winless streak at home with a 1-0 victory over Napoli in Serie A yesterday in a key match for Champions League places.
Miralem Pjanic finished off a swift counterattack for Roma in the 25th minute and goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis did the rest — saving shot after shot by Napoli in the second half.
“It’s important to win a match and gain some continuity,” De Sanctis said. “The last (four) months were tough in terms of results. So to win in front of our fans fills us with pride.”
Second-place Roma moved provisionally four points ahead of city rival Lazio, which was at Cagliari later.
Also later, three-time defending champion Juventus, which leads Roma by 11 points, hosts Empoli.
Roma had gone seven matches since its last home win — a 4-2 victory over Inter Milan on November 30. Napoli’s winless streak was extended to five matches, and Diego Maradona’s former club remained fifth.
Security was tight for Napoli’s first visit to Roma since a fan of the southern club died following a shooting before last season’s Italian Cup final in Rome.
Residents of the entire Campania region that includes Naples were barred from buying tickets for the match and 1,000 police were called in to maintain order. But there were no reports of problems.
Roma was without injured captain Francesco Totti and fellow forward Gervinho but Pjanic quickly made an impact with a free kick from 30 meters that sailed just wide of the post.
A few minutes later, Juan Iturbe rapidly carried into the area and passed to Alessandro Florenzi, who from the right flank picked out Pjanic to slot it in.
Napoli may have had a case for a penalty when Kostas Manolas stopped Jonathan De Guzman in the 39th with shoulder contact but there wasn’t much of a protest to referee Nicola Rizzoli, who officiated last year’s World Cup final.
In the second half, De Sanctis was superb in denying Dries Mertens on several occasions. The 38-year-old ‘keeper also made a leaping save on a shot from Manolo Gabbiadini in the 64th.
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