Gallery: Serturini decides game against her old side

Serturini, who played for the Puglia outfit before joining the Giallorosse in the summer, converted from 12 yards out midway through the second half; in what would prove the only goal of the game at the Stadio San Nicola.

Betty Bavagnoli's side had other chances to kill the game off - with Martina Piemonte hitting the bar in the first half, and Vanessa Bernauer shooting narrowly wide from close range during the second - but ultimately had to defend diligently in the final few minutes to see the game out.

“This is always a difficult place to play, I was here for a year and it is never easy," Serturini told Roma TV.

"For me it was a difficult game, an emotional one, but the main thing was to win."

The result means Roma Women are back to winning ways in Serie A, having seen their five-match unbeaten streak ended in their last league game against AC Milan.

“I need to say the same thing I said last week: we took the win, in a tough game, but I think we made things harder for ourselves,” Bavagnoli noted afterwards.

“We weren’t able to read the game as well as we could, we didn’t manage possession that well and were a bit sloppy at set-pieces. We weren’t as aggressive as we can be, and over time these things started to cost us – we got tired, and our opponents grew into the game.

"The longer the game went on, and the longer they remained in the game, the more they grew in belief and they put us in difficulty. But the result is great, it’s an important win – but we need to improve.

"I think perhaps we paid the price a bit today for the efforts of some of the recent games – which can happen, because it is a long, tough season.”

She added: “It is something positive that we can win without playing well. But I am always very honest with my girls: we can be happy with the result, and the resolve we showed, but we know we can raise our level.”

The team are back in action next weekend, as Fiorentina come to Stadio Tre Fontane on Sunday.

“It was a tough game," Serturini added. "Today the three points were vital for us, they help us in the standings and we can push on from that.

"Now we are up to fifth, but we still have a lot further to go. On Sunday we have another tough game and we will have to be at our best.”

See more photos from the game in the gallery below.

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