Evergreen Francesco Totti shines again as Roma beat Genoa 3-2
ByReuters
Updated 02/05/2016 at 21:31 GMT
AS Roma forward Francesco Totti rolled back the years with a spectacular goal in a roller-coaster 3-2 win at mid-table Genoa in Serie A on Monday to boost their bid for an automatic Champions League spot.
Francesco Totti
Image credit: AFP
The talismanic 39-year old, who came on after the break, unleashed a fierce free kick to level the scores at 2-2 before Stephan El Shaarawy swept in a late winner from close range.
The result stretched Roma's unbeaten league run to 15 games and put them second on 74 points from 36 games above Napoli who have 73 before they host struggling Atalanta later on Monday.
The top two qualify automatically for the Champions League group stage while the third-placed team enter a playoff round.
Juventus won their fifth straight Serie A title last month.
Mohamed Salah gave Roma an early lead in the sixth minute with a neat finish after a slick move, setting the tone for a pulsating clash in which both teams attacked at breakneck speed.
Greek Panagiotis Tachtsidis, Roma's former midfielder, equalised seven minutes later when he steered in a sharp low cross from the left.
Chances went begging at either end before Leonardo Pavoletti put Genoa ahead in the 65th, blasting the ball into the roof of the net after good work by Blerim Xhemaili and Tomas Rincon.
Enter Totti.
The 'Prince of Rome' was again deployed in the latter stages by coach Luciano Spaletti and yet again he produced a moment of magic, scoring his fourth goal in as many games.
Totti forced a superb save from Eugenio Lamanna with another free kick moments later but could do nothing to keep out El Shaarawy's simple finish in the 87th after Edin Dzeko squared the ball to the striker.
In the day's other game, Napoli beat Atalanta 2-1 with a double from Gonzalo Higuain.
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