Roma persist to beat Cluj

Rome - Philippe Mexes and Marco Borriello scored within two minutes of each other midway through the second half to help AS Roma overcome stiff resistance from Romanian side Cluj and earn a 2-1 win in the Champions League.

Cluj stunned Roma 2-1 two years ago at the Stadio Olimpico in its Champions League debut and for long stretches Tuesday it looked like there might be a repeat.

But Mexes found the target in the 69th and Borriello doubled the lead in the 71st before Ionut Rada pulled one back for Cluj in the 78th.

Roma gained its first three points in Group E, while Cluj remained with three points after beating Basel in its opener.