Radja Nainggolan saw his shot ricochet off the goalkeeper’s back to give Roma a lucky 1-0 victory in Empoli.

The Stadio Castellani hosted a Serie A game after five years in the wilderness, while the Giallorossi had earned just one point from their last three visits to Tuscany. Francesco Totti, Gervinho, Juan Iturbe and Davide Astori were rested ahead of CSKA Moscow, but Douglas Maicon started after he was thrown out by Brazil for disciplinary reasons. Massimo Maccarone was sidelined, so Levan Mchedlidze partnered Francesco Tavano.

Ex-Zenit, Roma and Empoli Coach Luciano Spalletti was in the stands for this occasion. Luigi Sepe palmed away an Alessandro Florenzi volley, but the hosts had a bright start with Tavano and Lorenzo Tonelli threatening from corners.

Kostas Manolas flung himself at a Tavano counter-attack after Miralem Pjanic was caught in possession.

Roma somehow failed to score on 41 minutes, as Florenzi nodded a ball to the back post where Maicon hit the upright from a yard, then the Pjanic follow-up was charged down – perhaps by Tonelli’s arm from point-blank range.

Morgan De Sanctis smothered a Tavano free kick that had curled round the wall.

The deadlock was broken with the last kick of the half and a stroke of luck. Nainggolan’s snapshot from distance bounced off the base of the post, back off goalkeeper Sepe’s head and into the net.

Maicon completed a fine give-and-go with Florenzi only to fire straight at Sepe from close range. There was controversy when Manolas rather clumsily went in on Mchedlidze, but the referee waved away penalty appeals and sent off Coach Maurizio Sarri for dissent.

Mchedlidze threatened again with a screamer stinging De Sanctis’ gloves under the bar from distance, while the goalkeeper got down to block a Piotr Zielinski effort. Manolas struggled to charge down Tavano's shot in stoppages, as Roma clung to the victory.