AFP, MILAN: Radja Nainggolan's maiden Roma brace stole the spotlight as his team secured an Italian Cup quarter-final tie against second division Cesena with a 4-0 romp over Sampdoria on Thursday.
Although Luis Muriel hit the post early on for Sampdoria, a sensational Leandro Paredes volley also hit the woodwork at the other end and was a sign of more to come from Luciano Spalletti's Serie A title challengers.
Samp 'keeper Christian Puggioni did well to bat away another scorcher from Paredes, but the keeper was left powerless when Nainggolan pounced on a poor Matias Silvestre touch to fire a right-footed volley from outside the area into the far top corner minutes before the interval.
The celebrations extended to a substitutes bench featuring an ecstatic Francesco Totti, and were almost back on minutes later when Nainggolan set up El Shaarawy with a back-heel flick that the forward fired just over.
Puggioni palmed a low drive from El Shaarawy round the near post and from the corner Nainggolan blasted wide.