De Rossi: Roma have waited too long for title

Daniele De Rossi is determined to end Roma’s long wait for the Serie A title after making his 500th appearance for the club.

The 30-year-old celebrated the c
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areer milestone by scoring a headed goal in the second half of a 3-1 win over Empoli on Saturday, with a brilliant Miralem Pjanic free-kick and a strike from Mohamed Salah securing the victory.

De Rossi hailed it as “the perfect night” after the match but has urged Roma to sustain their title challenge this season as they look to lift the Scudetto for the first time since 2001.

“It’s an emotional moment, because you look back over all different stages before this point,” De Rossi said prior to the match.

“I want to mark my history with this club with something even better.

“We are convinced that Roma are equipped to win the Scudetto, but being capable and actually winning it are two separate things.

“Aside from being my personal dream, it’s the dream of the whole city to win the Scudetto. It’s time we ended that wait. We deserve that next step and only time will tell if this is the right year.”

He later added to Sky Sport Italia: “It’s the perfect night, especially scoring a goal, which doesn’t happen to me very often.

“Miralem can take a free-kick in any way from any position. We know starting any match that he is the extra weapon, that element that takes us up one more level.”