Pizarro puts Roma on course for knockout stages

DAVID PIZARRO stole a late deflected equaliser to put Roma back on course for a place in the knockout stages of the Champions League and hand Manchester United confirmation of their spot.

The Italian side looked to be slipping to a 2-1 loss at the Jose Alvalade Stadium, but Pizarro’s long-range strike had a big helping hand on the way through to ensure a draw in the closing seconds.

Marco Cassetti gave the Italians the advantage after only three minutes with a right-footed strike from the edge of the penalty area. But Da Silva Liedson was nearly the match-winner for the home side, levelling the scores after 23 minutes before converting a Marat Izmailov corner to give Sporting the lead.