AS Roma extended their impressive Serie A winning streak to seven matches with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Lecce, handing the hosts their fifth consecutive league defeat.
The opening half saw both sides carve out promising opportunities. Angelino came close to giving Roma an early lead just nine minutes in, rounding goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone but only managing to find the side netting with an open goal beckoning.
Lecce responded through Porir Johann Helgason, who unleashed a strike from the edge of the box that whistled just past the post.
As the hosts gained confidence playing out from the back, a costly error nearly proved disastrous when Manu Kone intercepted a loose pass in front of goal, but Falcone reacted quickly to deny him from close range.
Roma’s goalkeeper Mile Svilar also had work to do before the break, first blocking Antonino Gallo’s attempt from a tight angle before comfortably gathering a shot from Jesper Karlsson.
The second half began quietly, but Lecce’s Nikola Krstovic injected some excitement with a speculative long-range effort that had Svilar scrambling as the ball bounced just wide.
Falcone, at the other end, was kept busy, producing a fine stop to deny Matías Soule before stretching out a leg to keep Artem Dovbyk’s near-post attempt at bay.
Roma thought they had broken the deadlock when Gianluca Mancini tapped in from a flick-on off a corner, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Undeterred, the visitors kept pushing and finally found the breakthrough with just 10 minutes left. Dovbyk, ever-reliable in front of goal, cut inside and rifled a low shot into the bottom corner, securing his 11th Serie A goal of the campaign.
Roma’s knack for grinding out 1-0 wins continued, with this result marking their fourth in seven matches and their 10th clean-sheet victory of the league season.
The three points propel them, at least temporarily, into the European qualification spots, while Lecce remain precariously positioned just above the relegation zone.
