Roma squander two-goal lead in draw against Cagliari

Updated: May 17, 2023, 05:57 am

Roma rounded off their disappointing week with another frustrating night by squandering a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Cagliari in Serie A.

Five days on from missing out on the Champions League group stage by losing 3-0 at home to Porto, the Giallorossi conceded an 87th-minute equaliser when Marco Sau deftly flicked in a cross by former Juventus full-back Mauricio Isla.

It also took the shine off a night when midfielder Kevin Strootman scored for the first time in almost 1,000 days following two injury-ravaged seasons for the Holland international.

Roma's celebrations proved short-lived against Cagliari on Sunday.
Roma's celebrations proved short-lived against Cagliari on Sunday.
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Roma had led through Diego Perotti's sixth-minute spot-kick as he stroked home his third penalty in two Serie A games after Isla had slid in to upend Stephen El Shaarawy.

Strootman doubled the lead one minute after the restart as half-time substitute Edin Dzeko cushioned a header from Mohamed Salah's cross into his path, allowing the Dutchman to hammer in off the underside of the crossbar to net for the first time since January 2014.

However, one-time Roma striker Marco Borriello pulled one back 10 minutes later by slamming home a rebound from Sau's saved shot and Sau got the faintest touch on Isla's cross late on to level matters.

The visitors still had a chance to win it, though Alessandro Florenzi nodded Bruno Peres' back-post cross wide deep into stoppage time.