Roma secures Champions League berth with victory over Lazio

Roma will indeed be back in the Champions League next season.

Despite stuttering towards the finish line after a blistering start to the campaign, the Giallorossi secured automatic qualification in Europe's premier club competition next year, defeating city rivals Lazio 2-1 in a typically fiery Rome derby Monday.

A dour opening half gave way to fireworks in the second stanza, as Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa fired home a header in the 85th minute to break a 1-1 draw that had been crafted by goals from Juan Iturbe and Filip Djordjevic.

The victory locks Roma into second place in the Serie A table, on 70 points with one match remaining in the campaign.

Lazio, meanwhile, came into the contest knowing that just a single point would be enough to secure Champions League football. Unable to obtain the necessary result, Stefano Pioli and company will now enter their final match of the season, against Napoli, knowing that with a loss, their opponents will leapfrog them into the third and final Champions League place allotted to Serie A.

Italy may not be the footballing wonderland it once was, but it still knows how to deliver fantastic drama.