Napoli missed the chance to go three points clear at the top of Serie A after losing 2-0 to in-form Bologna at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara.
The first half was scrappy, with few clear chances. Bologna’s Jhon Lucumí headed wide from a corner, while Napoli’s goalkeeper Vanja Milinković-Savić saved a long-range strike from Jonathan Rowe. Thijs Dallinga also had a header go off target in a good position. Frequent stoppages prevented either team from finding a rhythm.
The second half saw Bologna take the lead in the 50th minute. Dallinga ran past his marker to meet Nicolò Cambiaghi’s pass and calmly finished at the near post, sending the home fans into celebration. Bologna doubled their lead later, as Lucumí scored his first Serie A goal of the season, heading in from close range after some sloppy defending by Napoli.
Napoli struggled after half-time, managing an expected goals (xG) of just 0.05. Bologna’s tactics were spot-on, and 17-year-old substitute goalkeeper Massimo Pessina impressed with a mature performance.
The win gives Bologna three valuable points, extending their unbeaten run in all competitions to ten games and moving them up to fifth in Serie A. Napoli drop to second behind AC Milan after another goal-shy performance.
