Roma captain Francesco Totti made a rare appearance and set up the equalizer in a 1-1 draw with Bologna Monday but the Giallorossi lost ground to Napoli in the race for second place and a direct Champions League berth. Mohamed Salah had hit the post three times before collecting a short throughball from Totti early in the second half and slotting past Bologna goalkeeper Antonio Mirante. Luca Rossettini had put Bologna ahead midway through the first half with a header following a free kick. Roma extended its unbeaten run to 11 matches and remained third, six points behind second-place Napoli and six ahead of fourth-place Inter Milan with six matches to go. The top two finishers in Serie A qualify directly for the Champions League group stage, while the third-place finisher enters the last round of playoffs for the lucrative competition. Bologna is 13th. The 39-year-old Totti was making only his seventh league appearance of the season, amid speculation that Roma management is urging him to retire. Las Palmas goes up 5 places Striker Sergio Araujo scored a pair of second-half goals as Las Palmas defeated Deportivo La Coruna 3-1 Monday to jump five places in the Spanish league. Forward Lucas Perez put the host ahead in the 47th minute, but Araujo equalized in the 58th and defender David Garcia scored the go-ahead goal in the 79th. Araujo sealed the victory for Las Palmas in injury time. The away win moved newly promoted Las Palmas from 15th to 10th place in the league with 39 points, 11 clear of the relegation zone. Deportivo remained on 37 points and dropped to 12th. Barcelona leads the league with 76 points. Getafe hires Esnaider Struggling Getafe has hired Argentine coach Juan Eduardo Esnaider to try to escape relegation in the Spanish league. Esnaider, an assistant at the club from 2009-11, replaces Fran Escriba, who left Monday with the team enduring a streak of 12 winless games. Esnaider, a former player and television commentator, previously worked at Real Zaragoza. His first game in charge of Getafe will be against Real Madrid Saturday. Getafe is second-to-last in the 20-team standings with 28 points from 32 games. It is two points behind Granada, the first team out of relegation zone with six rounds left. Milan appoints Brocchi AC Milan has announced the sacking of coach Sinisa Mihajlovic, replacing the Serbian with youth team handler Cristian Brocchi until the end of the season. A statement from the struggling Serie A giant Tuesday read: "Sinisa Mihajlovic has been relieved of his role as AC Milan coach. "The club would like to thank Mihajlovic for the dedication and hard work carried out this season. "Cristian Brocchi will now be in charge of the first team until the end of the season. AC Milan would like to welcome Mr. Brocchi and wish him all the best."
