Francesco Totti earned just his third start of the season Thursday against Austria Vienna, but it came with an important footnote.
The 40-year-old has now made 100 appearances in European competition, a remarkable feat for the Roma legend, who's reluctantly accepted a diminished role in the squad.
Manager Luciano Spalletti has turned to the club's eternal captain for Europa League duty almost on an exclusive basis. Totti didn't feature in recent Serie A matches against Inter and Napoli, but Spalletti wasn't going to deny the fan favourite a piece of football history.
Totti recorded two assists at the Stadio Olimpico - including a wonderful looping ball for Stephan El Shaarawy - though his effort wasn't enough to keep the visitor at bay.
Vienna scored in the 82nd and 84th minutes to erase a 3-1 deficit and take home a share of the spoils in Group E action.