AS Roma’s title hopes took a further dive on Sunday after they were held to their sixth Serie A draw in seven games, leaving Juventus nine points clear at the top of the table.
Roma’s visit to Hellas Verona ended 1-1, despite talismanic captain Francesco Totti giving them a first-half lead with his 240th league goal.
Elsewhere, ailing AC Milan got back to winning ways with a precious 2-0 home win over AC Cesena, while SS Lazio climbed up to fourth thanks to Antonio Candreva’s superb second-half winner in a 2-1 home defeat of US Citta di Palermo.
Photo: EPA
Massimo Maccarone hit a brace, one in each half, to send Empoli on their way to a 3-0 home win over AC Chievo Verona, while the Parma v Udinese fixture was postponed as the cash-strapped hosts, on the verge of bankruptcy, had no money to pay stadium stewards.
In Sunday’s late game, on-loan Chelsea midfielder Mohamed Salah came off the bench to give ACF Fiorentina an 85th-minute lead over Torino, only for the visitors to level two minutes later when Giuseppe Vives pounced on a defensive slipup to fire past Ciprian Tatarusanu from a tight angle.
Champions Juventus had taken their lead over Roma to 10 points on Friday, a 2-1 win over Atalanta BC giving the Bianconeri a boost ahead of today’s UEFA Champions League round-of-16 meeting with Borussia Dortmund.
Photo: AFP
It left Roma under the cosh on a difficult trip to Verona’s Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi and although the visitors showed plenty of enterprise, Rudi Garcia’s men are still struggled once more to produce a match-winner.
“We’re creating chances that are going to waste,” Garcia told Sky Sport after the game. “As well as [Adem] Ljajic’s efforts on goal, [Radja] Nainggolan came close in the opening minutes. If we’d put those away, we could have settled the game by the end of the first half.”
Nainggolan and Ljajic both tested home goalkeeper Francesco Benussi in the opening exchanges.
Totti, making his return after a spell out due to influenza, looked under par during the opening exchanges, but the 38-year-old eclipsed his mediocre start with a superbly-struck dipping long-range shot which beat Benussi at his near post in the 26th minute.
Verona leveled 10 minutes later when Bosko Jankovic rose above makeshift defender Alessandro Florenzi to meet a corner with a header, which came off the legs of Seydou Keita before wrong-footing Morgan de Sanctis.
Florenzi was forced off moments later with an injury and replaced by Greek defender Vasilis Torosidis, while Ljajic narrowly failed to give the visitors a halftime lead when his free-kick smacked off the crossbar.
Milan welcomed Cesena to the San Siro looking for only their third win in 10 games and Giacomo Bonaventura broke the deadlock on 22 minutes with a low angled strike that beat Nicola Leali at his far post.
Milan had Christian Abbiati to thank for keeping a clean sheet when the goalkeeper produced a great one-handed save in first-half stoppage-time from Giuseppe de Feudis’s superb first-time effort, but the hosts made sure of the win when Giampaolo Pazzini came off the bench to fire a 90th-minute second past Leali from the penalty spot after Carlos Carbonera was adjudged to have pushed Luca Antonelli.
Although Milan are 24 points behind Juve, captain Riccardo Montolivo said: “Apart from the result, I think the team should be complimented for a solid display.”
“We deserved the win and have to keep going like this. It’s a positive day for everyone,” he said.
At the Stadio Olimpico, Lazio were stunned in the 26th minute when Paulo Dybala was sent through to beat Federico Marchetti at the goalkeeper’s far post after Mauricio was dispossessed to the left of the penalty area.
Lazio were back on level terms barely seven minutes later when skipper Stefano Mauri bundled home from close range and the hosts secured the points on 78 minutes when Candreva worked his way around two players to the left of goal, before firing past Stefano Sorrentino and into the far top corner.
Lazio moved up to fourth, 17 points behind Juventus and only two behind SSC Napoli in the third and last UEFA Champions League qualifying spot.
Napoli could have pulled to within three points of Roma with a home win against US Sassuolo yesterday, while Cagliari, third from bottom, were due to host Inter.
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