AS Roma defeated Torino 3-0 here to consolidate their hold on the third place in the Serie A with 56 points from 28 matches.

Trailing Roma by four points are Lazio, who will play their 28th match on Sunday, away to Cagliari, reports EFE news agency.

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Torino, at 36 after 27 matches, remain in ninth place but are hardly secure, as the three teams behind them are within three points of them and each have a game in hand.

Friday’s contest was preceded by a minute of silence for Fiorentina captain and Italian international Davide Astori, who died last Sunday of heart failure at the age of 31 just hours before a match.

The teams came together in the center of the field in a gesture of unity to honor Astori, who spend the 2014-2015 season with Roma.

Coming off an impressive 4-2 away victory over leaders Napoli, Roma were missing two players to suspension, defender Federico Fazio and forward Edin Dzeko, who scored a brace in the upset win in Naples.

The hosts struggling to mount any offense against a well-organized Torino squad and the first 45 minutes ended scoreless.

Roma’s breakthrough came in the 56th minute, when Kostas Manolas got his head to a perfect cross from Alessandro Florenzi to make it 1-0.

Torino failed to respond and Roma captain Daniele De Rossi produced his first goal of the season in the 73rd minute to double the lead. Lorenzo Pellegrini added a goal in stoppage time.