Nainggolan fires Roma past ‘unlucky’ AC Milan

doha — An Afghan boy who became an internet sensation after pictures of him wearing an improvised Lionel Messi football shirt went viral finally got to meet his superstar idol on Tuesday.

Murtaza Ahmadi met the Barcelona forward in Doha, where the Spanish league champions are due to play a friendly match against Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli later. Sixyear-old Murtaza, from the rural Ghazni province southwest of Kabul, is also due to walk out onto the pitch with the Argentinian at Doha’s Al-Gharrafa stadium. “The image the world wanted to see,” tweeted Qatar’s 2022 World Cup organisers, who brought the pair together.

“The six year old boy who dreamed of meeting his hero, #Messi, finally comes true.” Murtaza said: “I’m very happy to have met my hero. It is a dream for me,” said a statement by Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the committee overseeing organisation of the 2022 tournament.

Murtaza became a worldwide online hit earlier this year after he was pictured wearing his hero’s shirt, made out of a plastic bag, with the name Messi and the famous number 10 written on it in marker pen. The shirt was made by his teenage brother Homayoun after his neighbour threw away grocery bags. “I love Messi, he plays really well, and I love the shirt my brother made for me,” he said at the time. His family could not afford to buy him a replica kit. Pictures of Murtaza playing football in his improvised kit were first posted on Facebook. — milan — Roma’s Radja Nainggolan hit a second-half scorcher to secure a 1-0 win over AC Milan, who saw M’Baye Niang miss a first-half penalty, to close to within four points of leaders Juventus on Monday.

Roma and Milan had both dropped to seven points behind Juventus after Gonzalo Higuain scored twice on Sunday to seal a precious 2-1 derby win at Torino.

AC Milan coach Vincenzo Montella was welcomed back to the stadium where he played many memorable games as a forward for the Giallorossi, celebrating his goals doing the ‘Aeroplanino’ (Little Airplane).

But it was Luciano Spalletti’s hosts who were left celebrating following an entertaining clash, Nainggolan beating Milan’s teenaged ‘keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 62nd minute to make it three wins in succession. Roma remain second, four points off the lead with Milan seven adrift in third, with a one-point lead on both Napoli and Lazio.

“It was a difficult game tonight because Milan have quality throughout the squad,” Spalletti told Mediaset.

“What they say about this team and their coach is true. They’re up there with the best and they’ll be fighting to the end. “We did well to take the three points.”

After just 20 minutes Gianluca Lapadula earned Milan’s chance when he tempted Wojciech Szczesny into a rash tackle.

But when Niang stepped up to take it, fans had reason for concern.

Last week the Frenchman was involved in an on-field spat with Lapadula after his fellow forward had won a penalty at Crotone. Niang won the argument, but missed the penalty and it was thanks to Lapadula’s late winner that Milan took the points from a 2-1 win.

This time these was no spat, but Niang’s tame shot was well covered by Szczesny, who dived to his left to parry it to safety.

Montella later said: “They say Milan get lucky sometimes. Well, not tonight.—