AS Roma 2 : 0 Cesena - Roma rise to the top
Posted Thursday, October 30, 2014 by PA
Roma beat Cesena 2-0 on Wednesday night to remain perfect at the Stadio Olimpico and join Juventus at the top of the Serie A standings.
Mattia Destro's eighth-minute goal put the hosts on their way before Daniele De Rossi made it 2-0 nine minutes from time.
The result, coupled with Juve's 1-0 defeat at Genoa, allowed Roma to move level on 22 points with the Turin giants.
The Romans went into the game with just one win in their previous five games in all competitions.
Roma coach Rudi Garcia rested goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis and captain Francesco Totti in view of Saturday's match at Napoli.
Instead, he fielded Lukasz Skorupski in goal and Destro alongside Gervinho and Juan Manuel Iturbe up front.
The hosts started strongly and went ahead when Destro tapped a pass from Gervinho past Cesena goalkeeper Federico Agliardi.
Miralem Pjanic almost scored the team's second midway through the first half when he drilled a right-footed shot from 30 yards that Agliardi saved.
Cesena could have equalised in the 25th minute but Milan Djuric's header went wide of the far post.
At the other end, Destro got behind Pjanic's free-kick and nodded the ball past Agliardi but the goal was disallowed for offside.
On the half-hour mark, Pjanic set up Destro in the box and his shot was kept out by Agliardi in what looked to be Roma's second of the evening.
The visitors almost pulled level before the break but Skorupski saved Davide Succi's powerful header.
Garcia made his first substitution seven minutes into the second half with Alessandro Florenzi replacing Iturbe.
Roma players pleaded for a penalty shortly after the hour mark when Destro fell in the area with Cesena defender Daniele Capelli close by but referee Dino Tommasi waved play on.
A loss of concentration from Roma's defenders gifted a good opportunity for Cesena to score.
Hordur Magnusson crossed the ball into the area but substitute Hugo Almeida, who was left unmarked in the box, headed wide.
Two minutes later, Agliardi kept his team in the game when he made a reflex save from Florenzi's bullet strike from 15 yards.
However, Roma finally extended their lead.
Substitute Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa nodded a corner towards the six-yard box and an unmarked De Rossi smashed the ball into the back of the net.
The defeat for Cesena, meanwhile, has kept them winless on the road and dropped them to the relegation zone in 18th place.
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