MILAN: Mattia Destro and Alessandro Florenzi hit one apiece for Roma in a 2-0 win over Cagliari that sent the Giallorossi to the top of Serie A courtesy of superior goal difference on Sunday.
Champions Juventus had gone clear of the pack thanks to a 1-0 win over AC Milan on Saturday thanks to a 71st minute strike from Carlos Tevez at a packed-out San Siro.
However Roma, 5-1 Champions League winners over CSKA Moscow in midweek, continued their fine start to the season with a dominant performance in front of a sparse crowd at the Olympic Stadium.
“We put the same ingredients into this game as we did in our meeting with CSKA in midweek, and it worked,” Roma coach Rudi Garcia told Sky Sports.
“Winning today was very important. It has allowed us to pull three points ahead of Milan.”
Cagliari, now coached by former Roma handler Zdenek Zeman, were looking for their first win of the campaign but from the early stages the Sardinians had their backs to the wall.
After just 10 minutes Florenzi drew the Cagliari defence before rolling a low cross towards the back post, where Destro, unmarked, fired past 20-year-old Serie A debutant Alessio Cragno from close range.
Two minutes later Roma were celebrating again, Seydou Keita sighting Gervinho in space as Cagliari tried to spring the offside trap.
The Ivorian took possession and beat his marker before laying off for Florenzi to beat Cragno with a precise angled strike from the right of goal.
Florenzi celebrated in some style, jumping over a barrier and leaping into the stands to hug his 82-year-old grandmother — and earning a yellow card for his trouble upon his return to the pitch.
“She’d never been to the stadium, and told me after watching an Italy game that she’d come to see me play,” explained Florenzi.
“I promised that if she came and I scored, I would go and give her a hug. So I had to keep my promise.”
Elsewhere, Mauricio Pinilla struck three minutes from time to hand Genoa a 1-0 home win over Lazio to give Gian Piero Gasperini’s side their first win of the season.
Earlier, Antonio Cassano hit a brace for injury-hit Parma to help claim their first win of the season with a 3-2 defeat of hosts Chievo.
Napoli’s stuttering season continued with a 1-0 defeat away to Udinese where Brazilian defender Danilo slid in at the back post to send Kalidou Koulibaly’s wayward header past ’keeper Rafael Cabral.
Fiorentina also moved up the table thanks to a first win of the campaign secured by Jasmin Kurtic’s 58th minute strike away to Atalanta.
Verona, meanwhile, moved up to third place thanks to a 1-0 defeat of winless Torino thanks to Artur Ionita’s 66th minute strike. AFP