ROMA, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- A brace from Nicolo Zaniolo gave Roma a 2-1 victory over Porto in the Champions League round of 16 first leg here on Tuesday.
After a goalless first half, the Giallorossi broke the deadlock in the 70th minute when Edin Dzeko's clever pass found Zaniolo in the box, and the 19-year-old found the corner to open the scoring.
Zaniolo quickly rode the momentum and bagged his second six minutes later, as Dzeko's daisy-cutter from outside the box hit the upright, and the midfielder followed in to tap in the rebound.
The Portuguese side pulled one back in the 79th minute when Adrian Lopez knocked down a long pass for Tiquinho Soares who smashed home from close range.
The home side could have added a third in stoppage time, but left back Aleksandar Kolarov's drilled effort from a tight angle was denied by Iker Casillas.
The return leg takes place on March 6.
