Embattled Roma gain some relief
ROME, Jan 23, (AP): Embattled Roma gained some relief with a 4-3 win over visiting Spezia in Serie A on Saturday.
Lorenzo Pellegrini scored the winner two minutes into stoppage time after former Roma winger Daniele Verde had equalized in the 90th.
Borja Mayoral scored twice and Rick Karsdorp also found the target for the Giallorossi, who were without captain Edin Džeko due to an apparent feud with coach Paulo Fonseca.
Roma were beaten 3-0 by Lazio in last week’s league derby and then lost 4-2 to Spezia in the Italian Cup on Tuesday. On Friday, the Cup defeat result was changed to a 3-0 loss by the league judge due to an impermissible sixth substitution that Roma used.
The recent results have led to speculation that Fonseca is at risk of losing his job.
Roma players celebrated wildly after Pellegrini’s goal, which was the product of work from Leonardo Spinazzola and Bruno Peres, whose chest pass left a clear look for Pellegrini from close range.
Roma strengthened their third-place position .
Roberto Piccoli and Diego Farias also scored for Spezia, which is playing in the top division for the first time. Spezia were left four points above the drop zone. Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino made a surprising return to watch Kylian Mbappe snap a four-game scoreless run with two goals as the league leaders crushed 10-man Montpellier 4-0 .
PSG moved three points clear of second-place Lille, which can move level on points by winning at fifth-place Rennes on Sunday but have a vastly inferior goal difference.
In an unexpected sight at Parc des Princes stadium, Pochettino returned to coach PSG just one week after testing positive for the coronavirus.