Stephan El Shaarawy enjoyed the 'perfect' birthday celebration on Saturday, as he scored the winning goal in Roma's game against Bologna.

The Giallorossi made it three successive 1-0 wins in the match at the Stadio Olimpico, with El Shaarawy the hero thanks to a breathtaking first-time volley just after the half-hour mark.

Having turned 25 a day earlier, the Italy international was pleased to be able to celebrate the landmark in style.

"I don't think I could have celebrated my birthday any better - not just because I scored but because we won too, our third on the bounce," El Shaarawy said. "We've picked up nine points and we've been very solid in keeping three clean sheets."

He added: "We've changed our mentality. We know you can't win every game 3-0 or 4-0. We're creating lots of chances but the main thing is not conceding any. We're making big strides and we're happy."

The result keeps the Giallorossi in touch with the leading pack.

"We want to stay up there so we'll try not to drop any points," El Shaarawy added. "We need to focus on ourselves and take one game at a time. Things can change very quickly in football."