MILAN: On-loan Arsenal 'keeper Wojciech Szczesny produced late heroics as Roma held on to snatch a 2-1 win at home to Sampdoria on Sunday and maintain their bid for a place in Europe next season.
Roma coach Luciano Spalletti was missing several big names for the visit of Sampdoria, whose coach Vincenzo Montella was once a hugely popular striker with the club.
Edin Dzeko was only fit enough for the bench alongside Daniele De Rossi, Vasilis Torosidis and Norbert Gyomber while Belgium midfielder Radja Nainggolan was suspended.
But with Sampdoria still struggling to kickstart their season following Montella's recent arrival, the hosts were rarely troubled in a one-sided opening period that saw Alessandro Florenzi's header break the deadlock on the stroke of half-time.
Diego Perotti doubled the lead with a superb volley minutes after the restart to claim his maiden Roma goal, but when Joaquin Correa's deflected shot trickled past Szczesny soon after, Roma's confidence dropped.
Sampdoria came fighting back in a thrilling last quarter hour that saw Szczesny make several crucial saves while the crossbar kept out a late Mattia Cassani chance out as Roma held on to claim their third consecutive win.
Roma remain in fifth at 12 points behind leaders Napoli, but after Fiorentina and Inter Milan drew with Bologna and Verona respectively, Spalletti's men are one point behind Inter and two behind Fiorentina in third.
Roma spurned several chances to race to a healthy first-half lead, Bosnian midfielder Miralem Pjanic notably nodding wide of the target despite having time on his side when Florenzi fired over an inviting cross early on.
A Samp counter saw Douglas Maicon and Mohamed Salah race back to thwart Luis Muriel on the edge of the area, although Emiliano Viviano was the busiest of the two 'keepers.
The Italian came out to smother a Pjanic header from Perotti's cross and then Stephan El Shaarawy somehow ballooned over from 12 yards on Salah's cut-back.
Florenzi was unlucky not to connect with Maicon's superb delivery and soon after the hosts saw penalty claims waved away after Maicon's cross to Pjanic saw the ball roll up and hit the arm of Edgar Barreto.
Roma were struggling as the half drew to a close but when El Shaarawy's drive from outside the area came off a defender, Florenzi pounced to send a header inside Viviano's far post.
Minutes after the restart, El Shaarawy flicked a loose ball up for Perotti on the edge of the area and the former Genoa midfielder promptly fired a volley past Viviano and into the bottom left-hand corner.
Pjanic then escaped down the right to skim the upright with the outside of his boot, but just as Roma looked to have gained command, Correa's shot deflected off Pjanic to wrong-foot Szczesny at his near post.
Dzeko replaced Maicon halfway through the second period and after losing control on the edge of the area turned to see unmarked El Shaarawy pounce and fire the loose ball just wide.
Veteran Antonio Cassano replaced Correa for the final 10 minutes and spurned a great chance to level when Szczesny raced out to block, the Polish 'keeper then getting low on Cassano's deflection from a Dodo drive.
A Dodo cross in the dying seconds saw Cassani contort his body to fire a volley that beat Szczesny, only to rattle the crossbar.
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