Last-minute penalty sinks Roma at Atalanta

MILAN ( Reuters) - Second-placed AS Roma lost further ground on Serie A leaders Juventus when they were sunk by a last-minute penalty and lost 2-1 at Atalanta on Sunday.

Roma dominated the first half in foggy Bergamo and went ahead when Diego Perotti converted a penalty awarded for handball by Rafael Toloi five minutes before halftime.

But they handed the initiative to Atalanta, who levelled when Roma goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny's save from a Franck Kessie cross hit Mattia Caldara and flew into the net in the 62nd minute.

Atalanta continued to pour forward and won the game in the 90th minute when Ivorian teenager Kessie sent Szczesny the wrong way after Leandro Paredes had clipped Alejandro Gomez's ankle in the area.

Roma were left on 26 points, seven behind leaders Juventus who beat Pescara 3-0 on Saturday. They are followed by Milan, Lazio and Atalanta, all on 25.

Sampdoria, 10th, staged a storming fightback, scoring three goals in the final six minutes to beat Sassuolo 3-2 with Colombia forward Luis Muriel scoring twice, including the winner from a stoppage-time penalty.

Andrea Belotti scored twice in the last 10 minutes to give Torino (seventh) a 2-0 win at bottom club Crotone while Federico Bernardeschi and Josip Ilicic each netted a brace to give Fiorentina a 4-0 win at Empoli in the Tuscany derby.

Lazio beat Genoa 3-1 and Bologna overcame Palermo by the same score, leaving the Sicilians one place off the bottom with six points.

(Writing by Brian Homewood; Editing by Toby Davis)