AS Roma midfielder Michael Bradley, of the United States, right, is congratulated by teammate Erik Lamela, of Argentina, after scoring during a Serie A soccer match between AS Roma and Atalanta (Photo: AP)
AS Roma finally managed their first home win of the season on Sunday as they beat Atalanta 2-0 to ease the pressure on coach Zdenek Zeman.
Thrashed 4-1 by Juventus one week ago after a shambolic defensive display, Roma surprisingly dropped midfielder Daniele De Rossi and forward Pablo Osvaldo and survived several Atalanta near misses in a nervy opening.
They went ahead on the half hour when Argentine midfielder Erik Lamela flicked the ball into the net after being sent clear by a delightful chipped pass from Roma stalwart Francesco Totti.
Roma, who squandered a 2-0 lead at home to Bologna as they lost 3-2 and also scored first in the 1-1 draw against Sampdoria, increased their lead just after the hour with U.S. midfielder Michael Bradley's first goal since his move from Chievo.
Bradley, son of former United States and current Egypt coach Bob Bradley, nipped in to snap up a rebound after Andrea Consigli parried Mattia Destro's shot.
Leaders Juventus were away to Siena later on Sunday (1300) with the derby between AC Milan and Inter at San Siro in the evening (1845)
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