Title-chasing AS Roma were held to 1-1 at home by relegation-threatened Empoli on Saturday and looks set to lose more ground on Serie A leader Juventus.
It was Roma’s fourth consecutive league draw and left them six points behind Juventus.
“We are in a period with so many problems and the only thing to take out of this is the reaction of the team,” Roma coach Rudi Garcia said. “Not only were we a goal down, but also a man down. We gave everything in the second half.”
Roma had a host of players injured, while Gervinho and new signing Seydou Doumbia were away at the Africa Cup of Nations. Matters grew worse when Juan Iturbe was forced off with a knee injury after just 24 minutes.
Empoli took a surprise lead in the 39th minute after Kostas Manolas was sent off for bundling into Riccardo Saponara, when the Empoli midfielder was through on goal. Massimo Maccarone converted the resulting penalty.
The visitors were also reduced to 10 men in first-half stoppage-time as Saponara received a second yellow card for a handling offense, although he argued he controlled the ball with his shoulder.
Roma again looked like a different side after the break as they fought back for the fourth successive match, leveling when Douglas Maicon curled a Miralem Pjanic pass into the far bottom corner in the 57th.
The capital side could have taken the lead shortly after, but Davide Astori headed onto the crossbar.
The tension was high and Mario Rui claimed Pjanic punched him in the ribs off the ball. Empoli coach Maurizio Sarri was sent off for dissent.
Empoli moved two points off the relegation zone with its seventh draw in nine matches.
Earlier, Genoa drew 1-1 at home to ACF Fiorentina.
Genoa took the lead in comical circumstances. Stefano Sturaro, who was playing his last game for Genoa before moving to Juventus, somehow failed to put the ball straight into an empty net from six yards, but his shot hit the inside of the post and went in off the back of goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu’s head.
Fiorentina, who were playing their first match without Juan Cuadrado after his move to Chelsea, leveled 10 minutes into the second half. Matias Fernandez’s cross was nodded on by a Genoa player and Gonzalo Rodriguez headed in at the back post.
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