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Paloma Lazaro and Benedetta Glionna (twice) scored in either half as Alessandro Spugna’s side saw off their nearest challengers for a top-two finish in Serie A, ensuring they will have at least a five-point advantage over their closest rivals with four games left to play.
A top-two finish would guarantee participation in next season’s Champions League, just four years on from the club’s formation in the summer of 2018.
"I'm delighted to have helped the team today, it was a big game for our European ambitions," Glionna said afterwards.
"We were missing a few key players - Anna [Annamaria Serturini] and Haavi [Emilie Haavi] - but we were able to do what we needed to do."
Both sides went into Saturday’s game at the Stadio Ricci knowing a victory would greatly enhance their European aspirations. The Giallorosse, despite starting the day with a three-point advantage, looked to take control from the off – with Sassuolo seemingly content to cede possession and try and create danger on the counter-attack.
In that regard they were often more dangerous in front of goal, at least until the visitors found their range – with Lazaro ultimately capitalising on an extended run of pressure as she clipped home Lucia Di Guglielmo’s low cross.
That strike, coming as it did just moments before half-time, helped reset the dynamic of the match; with Sassuolo forced to come out of their shell more in the second half and thus suddenly leave themselves more open at the back.
It was Glionna who took full advantage of that; the winger finding the corner with a deflected strike with 20 minutes to effectively seal the game before adding gloss to the final scoreline in injury time.
The result means Roma control their own destiny in the race for a Champions League place – and could still catch league leaders Juventus, should the Bianconere slip up over the course of the season finale.
"The standings look good, but we can't think a top-two finish is a done deal," said Spugna.
"The next game will be really important - maybe the most important - even if it is against a side [Hellas Verona] that are already down. They won today, though, which shows that means nothing.
"We need to win that to go into the next break with the same advantage we've built this weekend."
See more photos from the game in our gallery below!
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