Francesco Totti hit a late winner in their clash against Sampdoria last night, meaning he has now scored in 23 consecutive Serie A seasons, writes Gavin Spillane.
The talisman’s goal came from from the spot as Roma moved to within two points of leaders Juventus after the 3-2 win.
That commentary on Francesco Totti's game winning goal 🔥🔥🔥
— ItalianFootballTV (@IFTV_Official) September 11, 2016
📣 "It's always him!!!" pic.twitter.com/u2z1WUyPDz
“That was the first time I’ve ever felt afraid of taking a penalty,” the centre forward said following the result.
Roma looked to be heading for a difficult second half at the Stadio Olympico after Sampdoria surged to a 2-1 half-time lead.
But Roma coach Luciano Spalletti were given bonus time to recuperate when officials delayed the restart by more than 30 minutes to salvage the pitch following a first-half full of rain and hail.
One-club man Totti replaced Diego Perotti and Edin Dzeko came on for Stephan El Shaarawy for the start of the second half, and the changes made an immediate impact.
Roma looked all set for a share of the spoils until Dzeko made the most of a Milan Skriniar’s challenge in the area. The 39-year-old Totti cooly slotted the subsequent penalty past Viviano.
Roma are now two points behind leaders and champions Juventus, who claimed their third successive win with a 3-1 defeat of Sassuolo on Saturday.
And coach Luciano Spalletti said he wants to find players who can emulate Totti in the future.
“I want four or five [Francesco] Tottis in this team,” said Spalletti, who was called out by the club talisman last season over his lack of game time.
“If I don’t play him people get annoyed at me but I want to produce another player like him.
“I want to see some of the other players in the squad develop into players like Totti –that’s what we need.”
