Superb Salah nets double
Milan, April 25: A slick second-half brace from Mohamed Salah sealed a 41 Roma romp at Pescara that virtually sent the Serie A strugglers back to Italy’s second division on Monday.
Roma’s 24th win of the campaign helped close the gap on leaders Juventus to eight points, although the Turin giants remain firmly on course for a record sixth consecutive scudetto.
The only blip for Roma was striker Edin Dzeko being caught on camera launching a tirade at Spalletti after he decided to substitute the Bosnian. Dzeko is tied with Torino’s Andrea Belotti on 25 goals at the top of the Serie A scoring charts and was denied the chance to add to his tally.
It took until the 44th minute for the visitors to break the deadlock, Stephan El Shaarawy powering into the box to deliver a perfect square ball for Strootman to tap home.
When Dzeko chased down Salah’s overhit cross to the left of goal a minute later, he picked out Nainggolan with a precision pass for the Belgium midfielder to drill past Vincenzo Fiorillo.
Roma resumed in commanding fashion after halftime, Salah beating Fiorillo down low at his near post with a great curling strike from the edge of the area on 48 minutes.
The Egyptian created his own double, snatching a wayward corner from Pescara to power up the middle and exchange a one-two with El Shaarawy before firing low past Fiorillo.
Pescara finally came fighting back in a promising final third in which Wojciech Szczesny was finally beaten by Ahmad Benali when he got in behind Kostas Manolas to meet a crisp cross from the right. Now 15 points behind Empoli and the safety zone with five games remaining, they are all but mathematically on their way back to Serie B.