Pablo Osvaldo's early strike was enough for AS Roma to record a 1-0 victory over Genoa at the Stadio Olimpico tonight.
The striker, who was back in the team after a spell on the sidelines, cleverly controlled a lobbed pass from Leandro Greco before firing into the bottom corner to give the hosts a third-minute lead.
Greco then nearly added his own name to the scoresheet but his deflected shot was saved well by Sebastian Frey.
Roma continued to look for a second and Osvaldo nearly provided it when he latched onto Daniel De Rossi's pass only to shoot wide.
After the hosts dominated the first hour, Genoa nearly equalised on 63 minutes but Miguel Veloso was denied by Maarten Stekelenberg.
The visitors then came even closer to levelling the scores when Rodrigo Palacio wasted a great chance from six yards by rattling the crossbar.
Despite Genoa's late pressure, Luis Enrique's side were able to hang on to their slim advantage to secure victory and move to within three points of the Serie A top four.
Joe Fish
