Diego Perotti strikes late as Francesco Totti’s last Roma game ends in drama

ByReuters

Updated 28/05/2017 at 18:42 GMT

AS Roma celebrated Francesco Totti's final game after 25 seasons at the club by beating Genoa 3-2 to clinch second place in Serie A on Sunday after 16-year-old Pietro Pellegri had given the visitors a shock lead.

AS Roma's forward and captain Francesco Totti (R) celebrates with teammates after a goal by AS Roma's midfielder Daniele De Rossi during the Italian Serie A football match AS Roma vs Genoa on May 28, 2017 at the Olympic Stadium in Rome

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One-club man Totti, 40, came on the 54th minute for his 786th appearance, and his 619th in Serie A, in what had been dubbed "Totti Day" by Italian media.

Diego Perotti grabbed a 90th-minute winner for Roma as they finished one point ahead of Napoli whose 4-2 win at Sampdoria was in vain.

AS Roma's legend Francesco Totti greets fans before the Italian Serie A football match AS Roma vs Genoa on May 28, 2017 at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. A sold-out Stadio Olimpico is set to bid farewell to iconic club captain Francesco Totti, 40, when he b

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The win means that Roma qualify directly for next year's Champions League group stage while Napoli's third place sends them into the final qualifying round -- where Italian teams have lost in six of the previous eight seasons.

Roma finished on 87 points, four behind Juventus who finished their campaign with a 2-1 win at Bologna on Saturday.

Totti confirmed on Thursday that the match would be his last for Roma, who did not offer him a new contract, but hinted he could continue his career elsewhere.

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“There are people who are not normal. There are careers that are not normal. I saw a banner that said the real battle against modern football is to wear the same jersey for 25 years,” said midfielder Daniele De Rossi, who himself has been at the club since 2001-02.

Roma were quickly in trouble as Pellegri sprinted clear of their defence and fired past Wojciech Szczesny in the third minute to become the first player born in 2001 to score a Serie A goal.

AS Roma's forward and captain Francesco Totti prepares to kick a corner during the Italian Serie A football match AS Roma vs Genoa on May 28, 2017 at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. Italian football icon Francesco Totti retired from Serie A today after 25 se

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Edin Dzeko levelled seven minutes later with his 29th goal of the season, finishing as Serie A top scorer, and Roma missed a succession of chances before halftime.

The fact that there was so much at stake for Roma added some real drama to an already highly-charged, emotional occasion and coach Luciano Spalletti, who has restricted Totti's playing time this season, duly brought on the talisman in the second half.

Totti created two good chances before Dzeko got behind the Genoa defence and pulled back the ball for De Rossi to slam home in the 74th minute.

But Genoa had not read the script and five minutes later Diego Laxalt floated over a cross which Szczesny missed and Darko Lazovic headed the equaliser at the far post.

AS Roma fans greet Francesco Totti ahead of his last match during the Serie A match between AS Roma and Genoa CFC at Stadio Olimpico on May 28, 2017 in Rome, Italy.

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Lazovic hit the post on another Genoa counter but, just as it seemed that Genoa were about to wreck the party, substitute Perotti popped up to fire in his late winner.

Lorenzo Insigne provided the highlight of Napoli's win when he broke down the left and sent a dipping shot over Christian Puggioni from a seemingly impossible angle just before halftime to put them 2-0 up after Dries Mertens had opened the scoring.

Marek Hamsik and Jose Callejon were on target in the second half for Napoli, the league's highest scorers with 94 goals, while Fabio Quagliarella and Ricardo Alvarez replied for Samp

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