Serie A: Roma end winless streak with 2-0 victory over Genoa; Juventus beat Carpi
Serie A: Roma end winless streak with 2-0 victory over Genoa;  Juventus beat Carpi
Roma ended their winless streak with a 2-0 victory over Genoa in Serie A on Sunday to relieve some of the pressure on coach Rudi Garcia.

Milan: Roma ended their winless streak with a 2-0 victory over Genoa in Serie A on Sunday to relieve some of the pressure on coach Rudi Garcia.

Alessandro Florenzi opened the scoring just before halftime and the whole Roma team ran over to hug Garcia.

Edin Dzeko was sent off 16 minutes before the end but teenager Sadiq Umar sealed the match late on to end a seven-match winless run for Roma that included Wednesday's Italian Cup exit against second-division Spezia.

Roma remained fifth after Juventus, Napoli and Fiorentina all won.

Leader Inter Milan can restore their four-point advantage with a victory at home to Lazio later.

Bottom club Hellas Verona held high-flying Sassuolo to a 1-1 draw.

Later, it's: Frosinone vs. AC Milan; Sampdoria vs. Palermo; and Torino vs. Udinese.

Reports in Italy said Garcia faced dismissal if Roma failed to beat Genoa in the final match before the winter break.

Florenzi netted the all-important goal two minutes from the break, volleying in at the back post after Lucas Digne's cross was deflected by Genoa defender Ezequiel Munoz.

Dzeko was shown a straight red in the 74th for dissent and Genoa almost took advantage of their numerical superiority before Sadiq secured the win seven minutes after coming off the bench, heading in a cross from fellow substitute William Vainqueur.

It was the 18-year-old Sadiq's first Serie A goal in his third appearance.

Napoli beat Atalanta 3-1, and Fiorentina defeated Chievo Verona 2-0, to stay tied for second on 35 points.

The match in Bergamo sparked into life after the break when Napoli was awarded a penalty after a needless handball by Marten De Roon.

Marek Hamsik had missed his last five penalties and almost did so again as his spot kick bounced off the underside of the bar but went over the line.

Alejandro Gomez leveled less than two minutes later but the league's leading goalscorer Gonzalo Higuain restored Napoli's lead seven minutes later, heading in Jorginho's corner.

Napoli had to play the final 15 minutes with 10 men after Jorginho was sent off for two bookings in three minutes on his 24th birthday.

Higuain sealed the win five minutes from time, slotting Hamsik's through ball into the bottom left corner for his 16th league goal of the season.

Napoli could have extended their advantage but Hamsik blasted a penalty over the bar after Gabriel Paletta was sent off for bringing down Dries Mertens, when he was clear on goal.

Nikola Kalinic and Josip Ilicic scored for Fiorentina.

In the lunchtime kickoff, former Juventus striker Marco Borriello gave Carpi a shock lead in the 14th minute but Mario Mandzukic leveled just four minutes later, flicking the ball over his head with his back to goal and turning to volley it in.

Mandzukic doubled his tally four minutes from halftime, heading in Patrice Evra's cross.

Paul Pogba extended Juve's advantage shortly after the restart, chesting down Claudio Marchisio's long ball over the top and firing past Vid Belec.

Carpi netted what appeared to be a consolation in stoppage-time as Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci turned an innocuous-looking cross from Luca Marrone into his own net.

However, the home side almost snatched a point but Lorenzo Lollo miskicked from close to goal. Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri was so angry that he tore his coat off and threw it at the bench.

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