Paulo Dybala scored his first Serie A goal of the season as Roma beat Sassuolo 1-0 to move level on points with leaders Napoli.
PAULO Dybala ended his Serie A goal drought to give Roma a 1-0 victory at Sassuolo on Sunday.
The win lifted Roma level on points with leaders Napoli in the Serie A standings.
Dybala set up Bryan Cristante for a shot after 16 minutes before pouncing on the rebound when Arijanet Muric saved.
The Argentinian slotted the ball into an empty net for his 130th Serie A goal but his first from open play since last December.
“These are three important points,” said Dybala, whose team are hoping to deliver a first Scudetto for Roma since 2001.
“We knew we could move into first place before this match, but we’re not getting carried away. The championship is still very long.”
Under manager Gian Piero Gasperini, Roma have become defensively solid but struggle to score.
They have conceded just three goals in eight games while scoring only eight.
Roma sit second behind reigning champions Napoli on goal difference after Napoli beat Inter Milan 3-1 on Saturday.
All four of Roma’s defeats this season have come at home, including losses to Viktoria Plzen and Inter Milan this week.
“I’m very satisfied because the team reacted well after two defeats this week,” said Gasperini.
“The priority now is to win again at home. We have to reward our fans. At home, we have to be more effective.”
AC Milan dropped to third after being held to a 2-2 draw by Pisa on Friday.
Lazio extended Juventus’ winless streak to eight matches with a 1-0 victory at the Stadio Olimpico.
Juventus fell behind in the ninth minute when Jonathan David gave the ball away before Toma Basic drilled in a deflected shot.
The visitors thought they should have been awarded a penalty when Mario Gila appeared to trip Francisco Conceicao.
Lazio held on for three points with Ivan Provedel making an excellent late save from Khephren Thuram.
“We are of course disappointed, we feel terrible, but there is always something missing in our matches,” said Juve coach Igor Tudor.
Fiorentina remained winless despite fighting back to rescue a 2-2 home draw with Bologna.
Albert Gudmundsson and Moise Kean scored penalties for Fiorentina after Bologna had Emil Holm sent off.
Stefano Pioli’s Fiorentina have just four points from eight games and sit in 18th place.
Torino made it back-to-back wins with a 2-1 victory against Genoa after beating Napoli last week. – AFP
