Rome: Roma captain Francesco Totti made a rare appearance and set up the equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Bologna on Monday but the Giallorossi lost ground to Napoli in the race for second place and a direct Champions League berth.
Mohamed Salah had hit the post three times before collecting a short throughball from Totti early in the second half and slotting past Bologna goalkeeper Antonio Mirante.
Luca Rossettini had put Bologna ahead midway through the first half with a header following a free kick.
Roma extended their unbeaten run to 11 matches and remained third, six points behind second-place Napoli and six ahead of fourth-place Inter Milan with six matches to go.
The top two finishers in Serie A qualify directly for the Champions League group stage, while the third-place finishers enter the last round of playoffs for the lucrative competition.
Bologna are 13th.
The 39-year-old Totti was making only his seventh league appearance of the season, amid speculation that Roma management is urging him to retire.
Salah hit the post with a header in the 16th, had a shot deflected off the goalframe by Mirante in the 23rd and then hit the woodwork again seconds after halftime.
Totti replaced Iago Falque to start the second half and made an immediate impact, finding Salah amid a crowd of defenders just beyond the area. The pass left Salah with only the goalkeeper to beat.
Stuck on 300 goals in all competitions for his Roma career, Totti then nearly scored with a powerful shot that Mirante did well to deflect.
"We lacked some luck," Roma forward Diego Perotti said. "We had chances and we were often in front of the goal but we didn't do a good job of putting the ball in."
Comments
0 comment