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JU CANNOT BE SERIE AS

Roma 3 Juventus 1: Stephan El Shaarawy, Daniele De Rossi and Radja Nainggolan postpone title party

Old Lady slump to defeat in Italian capital despite taking the lead through Mario Lemina

STEPHAN EL SHAARAWY’S super strike set up Roma’s dramatic win to keep  Juventus waiting  for their sixth straight Scudetto.

Luciano Spalletti’s Giallorossi came from behind to triumph in this top-of-the-table clash.

 

Radja Nainggolan nets Roma's third to kill off the game

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Radja Nainggolan nets Roma’s third to kill off the game

And in doing so they slashed the gap from Max Allegri’s Juve to four points with just two games to play.

 


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Mario Lemina put Juve ahead but Roma skipper Danielle De Rossi struck back four minutes later.

And  El Shaarawy hit an absolute beauty 11  minutes into the restart before Radja Nainggolan put the gloss on a superb night.

Reigning champions Juve would need to throw it away  now to relinquish the Serie A title — and will surely find the  three points they need by beating relegation-battling   Crotone at home next weekend.

If they somehow lose that, they could still clinch an unprecedented sixth Serie A title in a row by winning at Bologna on the last day.

Still, for the Roma tifosi this was a night to celebrate wildly.

Juve boss Allegri gambled by resting six key players ahead of Wednesday’s Coppa  Italia final here at the Olimpico again but this time against Lazio.

Other than Gigi Buffon, Allegri left his entire back-line on the bench. Giorgio Chiellini, Dani Alves, Claudio Marchisio, Andrea Barzagli. And  frontman Paulo Dybala was also given a breather.

 

Stephan El Shaarawy curls the ball inside the far post to make it 2-1

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Stephan El Shaarawy curls the ball inside the far post to make it 2-1

Danielle De Rossi wheels away after netting an equaliser

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Danielle De Rossi wheels away after netting an equaliser

Alves and Dybala came on to little avail in the second half.

Kwadoh Asamoah struck a post with a rasper after seven  minutes. But after 21 minutes Juve’s 2,000 visiting tifosi went bananas as a sweeping triangle saw Sturraro play through Gonzalo Higuain who set up  Lemina for a tap-in.

The visitors only needed a point and this was a massive blow for Roma’s slim hopes.

But within four minutes the Olimpico erupted as Juve keeper Buffon could only push Kostas Manolas’ header to   De Rossi who slammed home the leveller from close range. We had a game on our hands.

 

Mario Lemina opens the scoring for leaders Juventus

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Mario Lemina opens the scoring for leaders Juventus

Chances came and went but another chaotic celebration followed when  El Shaarawy fired Roma in front on 56 minutes.

It was a beauty as he side-footed a low strike around Stefan Lichsteiner and Leonardo Bonucci.

Not often is Italy legend Buffon beaten like that but that strike  deserved to win any match.

The  stadium rose as one as “il capitano”,  Francesco Totti came on for a cameo in injury-time after Nainggolan had all but sealed victory on 65 minutes.

Totti is set to end his Roma career over the next fortnight after 22 years at the club.

He is set to say his final arrivederci to his adoring fans against Genoa here a week on Sunday. It could still be a fairytale end  were he to lift the Scudetto against all odds.