Radja Nainggolan rescues a point for Roma in fightback vs. Inter Milan

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Radja Nainggolan scored a late equaliser to secure Roma a 1-1 draw against Serie A rivals Inter and remain in the driving seat for Champions League qualification.

Midfielder Ivan Perisic netted his fourth goal in as many games to put the visitors in front early in the second half.

However, Roma were eventually rewarded for their persistence when Nainggolan swept the ball in with just four minutes left.

Inter came into the contest looking to get into fourth above Fiorentina, who play at relegation-threatened Frosinone on Sunday, and also close within striking distance of the Giallorossi to keep alive hopes of breaking into the Champions League places.

It was a positive start by Roma, chasing a ninth consecutive league win ahead of next weekend's derby away to city rivals Lazio, as Diego Perotti, deployed as the "False 9" by manager Luciano Spalletti, shot over from the edge of the Inter penalty area.

Stephan El Shaarawy, on loan at Roma from AC Milan, pulled the ball across the face of the Inter goal towards Mohamed Salah, but Japan defender Yuto Nagatomo stabbed it behind for a corner.

Inter slowly started to get a spell of promising possession.

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On 19 minutes, a low cross from the left by Adem Ljajic, who is on loan at Inter from Roma, caused panic in the hosts' crowded six-yard box, before handball was eventually given against forward Eder.

Inter threatened again as Croatian midfielder Perisic cut in from the left and drilled the ball over before, on 31 minutes, Marcelo Brozovic arrived in the right side of the Roma penalty area following a swift counter-attack, but sliced his shot wide.

Salah then hooked a long ball into the Inter penalty area over goalkeeper Samir Handanovic and into the net, but had been flagged for what looked like a marginal offside call.

Handanovic produced a brilliant reaction save five minutes before half-time as he beat away an angled snapshot by El Shaarawy at point-blank range.

The Nerazzurri made the breakthrough on 53 minutes, as Perisic continued his fine goalscoring form.

The Croatian held his run to stay onside as he collected a slide-rule pass into the left channel from Brozovic, before striding into the Roma penalty area and drilling a low shot across Wojciech Szczesny into the far corner.

Spalletti soon replaced Seydou Keita with Edin Dzeko, the on-loan Manchester City striker, to try to inject some fresh life into the Roma attack.

On 63 minutes, Miralem Pjanic's 20-yard free-kick was deflected off the wall and behind. Dzeko then saw a header saved acrobatically by Handanovic before the Bosnia-Herzegovina international crashed an angled shot over.

El Shaarawy lashed a stray pass into the side netting as Roma continued to press for an equaliser. Handanovic saved from Salah, before Roma finally levelled with six minutes left.

Dzeko mis-kicked at the edge of the penalty area, but the ball fell into the path of Nainggolan, and the Belgian swept a low shot into the bottom corner to deny Inter a first victory at the Stadio Olimpico since 2008.

Salah almost won it for Roma in stoppage time when his goalbound shot hit Dzeko and bounced away.