Dzeko secures draw for Roma vs Bologna ahead of Barcelona clash

Roma forward Edin Dzeko on Saturday scored a late equaliser to secure a 1-1 away draw for his side against Bologna in the Serie A 30th round.

After three straight wins, Roma suffered the draw with less than a week to go before facing Barcelona at Camp Nou in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals on April 4, reports Efe.

Dzeko was a substitute, as Roma coach Eusebio Di Francesco announced before the match that he would rest some players ahead of Barcelona clash.

Just 17 minutes into the match, Roma lost the efforts of key midfielder Radja Nainggolan, who sustained a muscle injury and had to be replaced by Gerson Santos Da Silva.

Roma suffered another setback when, one minute later, Erick Pulgar opened the scoring for Bologna.

Roma fought to equalize but failed to get through Bologna's defensive playing style.

With 14 minutes to go, Dzeko netted the equalizer to snatch a precious point for Roma.

The remainder of the game was entirely dominated by Roma, but Bologna still held them to a draw.

Roma forward Gregoire Defrel had the best chance to score the winner for his side in the last minute, but his left-footed shot from inside the penalty area was blocked by Bologna defender Filip Helander.

After the 1-1 draw, Roma remains in the third position in the Serie A table with 60 points, while Bologna is in 11th place with 35 points.

--IANS

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