AS Roma coach Claudio Ranieri was delighted with character shown for their 1-0 defeat of Udinese.

Edin Dzeko struck the only goal of the game.

Ranieri said, “We suffered a lot in the first half and tried to take away the counter-attack option from Udinese, which we eventually managed after six or seven minutes of struggle.

“I have to compliment the lads, as they remained concentrated even when it wasn't going well and didn't lose their heads. I said this would be an extremely difficult game and it was."

He added: “It'll be a fight to the very end for fourth place, because all the teams are in good shape and it'll be a single detail that makes the difference for Champions League qualification. It's going down to the wire."