Roma remain perfect in edging Chievo

Marco Borriello headed his first goal of the season to secure a 1-0 win for Roma over Chievo and extend the leaders’ new all-time Serie A record of opening season wins to 10 on Thursday.

Roma, who have scored 24 and conceded just once this campaign, restored their lead of five points on second-placed Napoli and Juventus after their wins over Fiorentina and Catania respectively on Wednesday.

Rudi Garcia’s side were afforded the honour of being the first Italian team to record nine opening wins in succession last weekend thanks to a late 1-0 win away to feisty Udinese.

However with Juventus also having achieved that feat during the 2005-2006 season, when the Turin giants were stripped of the title and any other related honours, fans of the Giallorossi packed the Olympic Stadium on Thursday to see more history being made in the capital.

“It’s a nice satisfaction, we’ve made history, but now we have to look ahead to our trip to Torino (on Sunday),” said Borriello.

Roma have so far played down talk of challenging for what would be their first scudetto (title) since 2001, and Borriello added: “We’re also playing very well away from home, but our objective is (to qualify for) Europe.”

Despite missing captain Francesco Totti and Gervinho through injury and with defender Douglas Maicon suspended, Roma dominated throughout but found Chievo a tough nut to crack.

Chievo, sitting bottom with one win and only four points and also missing French striker Cyril Thereau due to a late injury, proved hard to break down in a first period in which Roma should have hit the net several times.

The visitors’ goalkeeper Christian Puggioni punched away a long-distance drive from Dutchman Kevin Strootman, while Daniele De Rossi missed the target with a header and Marquinho flashed an angled drive wide.

The hosts continued to dominate after the break but shots by Miralem Pjanic and De Rossi hit bodies in a packed Chievo defensve aread.

Faced with the prospect of an unwelcome draw, Garcia added fizz by replacing Marquinho with striker Alessandro Florenzi and the hosts broke the deadlock several minutes later.

Pjanic’s pass found Florenzi deep on the left and the forward’s inviting volley was promptly headed home by Borriello from six yards.

Roma survived a fright shortly after when goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis spilled a Luca Rigoni shot but Alberto Paloschi was ruled offside.

Roma came close to their second when Borriello’s angled drive was blocked at the near post and then Adem Ljajic’s direct free kick from a tight angle was tipped away by Puggioni.