A 90th-minute Christian Panucci goal gave AS Roma a 1-0 win at Genoa lifting them tothe top of Serie A alongside champions Inter Milan.

The result, which gives Roma 25 points from 12 games, put pressure on Inter to beat Atalanta at home later today. Former Genoa player Panucci rose to head home a David Pizarro free kick in what looked to be a photocopy of the goal he scored to hand Italy a 2-1 victory over Scotland in last week's Euro 2008 qualifier. The game looked headed for a draw after Genoa's Matteo Paro hit the post in the second half and their goalkeeper Rubinho deflected Roma forward Mirko Vucinic's header onto the crossbarand blocked Daniele De Rossi's attempt to tuck in the rebound.

The game was the first Serie A match since Nov. 11, when Lazio fan Gabriele Sandri was killed by a police bullet. The authorities have banned fans of six top-flight clubs,including Roma and Atalanta, from travelling to their teams'away matches this weekend in a bid to avoid a repetition of the widespread trouble that followed Sandri's death.

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