ROME: AS Roma qualified for the Champions League group stage in the best possible style on Monday, booking their place with a last-gasp 2-1 win over neighbours and bitter rivals Lazio in a fiery Rome derby that featured three late goals.

French central defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa was the unlikely hero with a late glancing header for the winner five minutes from the end of a feisty encounter that produced eight yellow cards, several skirmishes between players and numerous protests.

Roma had taken the lead in the 73rd minute at the Stadio Olimpico when Juan Manuel Iturbe chipped in from within the box with his first goal since October.

But Lazio’s late substitute Filip Djordjevic headed Miroslav Klose’s headed cutback past Morgan Da Sanctis in the Roma goal eight minutes later in a thrilling finale before Yanga-Mbiwa turned the match on its head to secure the points for Rudi Garcia’s side.

The result leaves Roma in second place, 16 points behind recently-crowned champions Juventus but four ahead of Lazio with one game remaining this season.

“Complements to the lads,” Garcia said. “It wasn’t an easy match but we did it. We achieved our goal. Obviously when you win like this, having conceded a late leveller like we did, it only adds value to all the work we’ve done in recent weeks to prepare for this game.”

Third-placed Lazio, who needed a draw to make sure of a place in the Champions League playoff round and came into the derby after a 2-1 Cup final defeat to Juve last week, now have their hopes of qualifying in the balance while the chances of Napoli, who are fourth, have been rekindled.

The two sides meet in Naples on Sunday with the hosts needing a win to pip Lazio for third place and qualify at their expense for the final Champions League playoff round, in August.

“In [five] days we’ve lost two matches that we shouldn’t have,” Lazio coach Stefano Pioli said. “These are tough losses and we’ve got to show our professionalism and bounce back and do what’s required.

“We lost the game when we had ample opportunity to score goals. Roma were better than us in the decisive moments. If we’d taken the lead when we had the opportunity to, it would have changed things tactically for us. We’ll go to Napoli to fight for the result that we need.”

Roma have now won four of their last five matches, following a difficult stretch where it looked like Lazio or Napoli were going to take the lucrative direct Champions League spot.

Roma celebrated as if they had won the league, piling on top of each other with captain Francesco Totti putting on a celebratory T-shirt.

“This was a huge achievement,” Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi said. “This success should be a starting point for us.”

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2015

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