SSC Napoli missed the chance to reclaim top spot in Serie A as they fell to a surprise 3-2 defeat at relegation-threatened Bologna on Sunday and slipped to third after ACF Fiorentina beat Udinese 3-0.
Fiorentina moved second, a point behind Inter and one ahead of Napoli.
Bologna have been a transformed side since Roberto Donadoni replaced Delio Rossi as coach. One of the players who has flourished the most is Mattia Destro and he struck twice to take his tally to four goals in as many matches under the former Italy coach.
Photo: EPA
“My aim, like all forwards, is to get back into the national team,” Destro said. “It’s one of my targets and I’ll give everything to achieve it, I have to do well with this shirt and then we’ll see.”
Luca Rossettini also scored as Bologna went 3-0 up on the hour mark.
Serie A top scorer Gonzalo Higuain struck twice in three minutes, but it was too late for Napoli to complete a remarkable comeback.
“The lads were extraordinary,” Donadoni said. “At the end we suffered more than necessary, but if we play like this we will create the conditions to get the result. I am very proud.”
Bologna moved four points above the relegation zone, while winless Hellas Verona stayed at the bottom of the table after a 1-0 loss to Empoli. They remained nine points behind 17th-placed US Citta di Palermo, who lost 3-0 at 10-man Atalanta BC.
Frosinone lost 2-0 at home to AC Chievo Verona and remained in the relegation zone, along with Carpi, who held inconsistent AC Milan to a 0-0 draw.
AS Roma and Juventus round out the top five, with US Sassuolo sixth in their third season in Serie A after a 3-1 win at UC Sampdoria, who lost their fourth straight game — three of them under new coach Vincenzo Montella.
All three of Sassuolo’s goals came in the first half from Francesco Acerbi, Sergio Floccari and teenager Lorenzo Pellegrini. Goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano prevented an even worse result for Sampdoria and Ervin Zukanovic grabbed a last-minute consolation.
Napoli were looking to move back top following Inter’s 1-0 win against Genoa on Saturday. They had only lost one game in all competitions, winning 14 and drawing four since a season-opening defeat, while scoring 42 goals and conceding eight, but Bologna had won two and drawn one after Donadoni took over and were eager to bounce back from the previous weekend’s defeat at Torino.
They took a shock lead in the 14th minute when Destro pounced on a long ball over the top from Amadou Diawara, shrugged off Raul Albiol and slotted past Pepe Reina.
It was the first time since Sep. 13 that Napoli had been behind in a league match and they found themselves 2-0 down seven minutes later when Rossettini headed in a corner.
Napoli laid siege to the Bologna goal, but went further behind on the counterattack as Destro fired past an uncertain Reina.
Higuain reduced the deficit in the 87th minute following a cross from Lorenzo Insigne and scored his 14th league goal of the season in the final minute to set up a nervy finale, but Bologna held on in stoppage-time.
Fiorentina knew they could leapfrog Napoli with a win, but it took a moment of fortune for them to get the lead in the 26th minute when Udinese defender Edenilson’s clearance fell to Milan Badelj, whose shot took a decisive deflection off Nikola Kalinic to wrong-foot the goalkeeper.
The goal was awarded to Badelj.
Udinese almost immediately leveled, but Cyril Thereau’s attempt crashed off the post.
Fiorentina doubled their advantage just after the hour mark when Josip Ilicic converted his fifth penalty of the season after Emmanuel Badu fouled Kalinic.
Gonzalo Rodriguez headed in a corner four minutes from time for a scoreline that flattered Fiorentina.
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