Roma did enough to edge past Genoa 2-0 on Sunday afternoon at the Stadio Olimpico to tighten their grip on a Champions League slot.
A first-half strike by Seydou Doumbia, who was starting ahead of Francesco Totti for the second successive game, and a late Alessandro Florenzi strike was enough to earn the Giallorossi an important three points against a surprisingly listless Genoa outfit.
The opening exchanges between the side’s failed to really reach any heights, with both teams sluggish and failing to assert any sort of pressure. The visitors looked mildly threatening on the counter attack, but a combination of poor decision making and last-ditch defending meant that they failed to punish the home outfit.
It took until the 25th minute until the first direct shot in anger, and it was Roma midfield general Radja Nainggolan whose deflected effort from a Gervinho cutback that drew a brilliant save from the Grifone shot-stopper Mattia Perin.
That seemed to kick the Giallorossi into gear, and they finally enjoyed some sustained pressure without ever really threatening the goal. The visitors were installing their high pressing game and were making the Roma defenders uncomfortable playing out from the back.
The first goal did come however for the home side, and it was in the 34th minute as Ivorian international Doumbia capitalized on some lax defending to poke the ball past the on-rushing Perin, and make it his second goal in two games for his new club.
The final stages of the half petered out without much incident, with the Giallorossi’s goal looked to have knocked the stuffing out of the Grifone who were blunt in attack, and failed to unlock a Roma outfit that were content to sit, and insusceptible to the counter attack.
The in-form Iago Falque was introduced at the break for the visitors, and immediately was in the thick of the action with his 30-yard free-kick whistling over the bar.
It was the Spaniard again a few minutes later that looked the most likeliest for the visitors, with Falque unleashing a stinging drive from the right that stung the palms of Morgan De Sanctis.
Controversy struck around the hour mark when Roma fullback Vasilis Torosidis was adjudged to have dived in the box, despite replays showing contact with the Genoa defender. A yellow card was shown to the Greek international, who was livid with the referee, certain that he should’ve been awarded the spot-kick.
It wasn’t to matter however, and despite a few scares from Falque, Roma grabbed out another late in stoppage time through Alessandro Florenzi’s stunning length of the field run and strike to see out the victory in a comfortable fashion.
