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Roma defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa is pleased to have left his mark on club history after his 85th-minute goal secured a famous 2-1 victory over arch rivals Lazio on Monday. The match-winning strike secured second place in Serie A for the giallorossi, guaranteeing a place in the Champions League group stage next season at their crosstown rivals' expense. "My teammates told me I will remain in Roma history now and I am very happy to know that," said the ex-Newcastle man. "The important thing is the victory and knowing we will be in the Champions League next season. "It was very difficult this evening, but in the end we won." Roma boss Rudi Garcia echoed Yanga-Mbiwa's enthusiasm and hailed his side on a match and campaign well-done after the triumph. "We prepared the game this way, the players had the right attitude and those who came off the bench did well," he told Sky Sport Italia. "I compliment my lads, as it was not an easy game, but we did what we said we'd do. We wanted to win until the end and we did. "It's a great objective we have achieved and now we can celebrate with our fans. It is so wonderful that we don't even need the final game." Garcia changed tactics after half-time and came out for the second half with a much more attacking mindset, a move the manager said was planned before the game. "After 15 minutes the plan was to sit back and not let Lazio through, sending Florenzi forward round their defenders," Garcia said. "As Lazio had played 120 minutes on Wednesday, we predicted they would have a dip in fitness levels and that was the moment we had to change attitude and step up to hurt them. "I am very pleased we scored a goal from a free kick, as we've been trying for weeks!" Lazio, who fell their their second straight defeat, now need at least a draw at Napoli in their final game of the season to secure third and qualify 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." Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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