Napoli 1-1 Bologna: Cavani penalty salvages point for Mazzarri's men

The hosts fashioned the first opening 10 minutes into the contest when Hugo Campagnaro’s flick found Marek Hamsik unmarked in the area, but his shot was parried by Jean Gillet, who was also on hand to snare the rebound from the feet of the Slovak.

However, it was Bologna that struck first in the 14th minute, when Nico Pulzetti twisted and turned on the edge of the area, before slipping through a pass that caught the entire Napoli back four flat-footed and allowed Acquafresca to slot home.

The visitors seemed content to sit deep and soak up the pressure after the goal, with Napoli slow to respond to the setback. A curled effort by Goran Pandev that flew just over the bar was about the best they could muster for the remainder of the half.

Matters did not improve much for Walter Mazzarri’s men as the second half unfolded as they continued to find it difficult to break through the determined Bologna ranks, often resorting to speculative strikes from long-range in a bid to find a way back into the game.

Salvatore Aronica went close with one such effort shortly after the hour mark, but Gillet was alert to block the defender’s attempt from distance.

It seemed unlikely that Napoli would level the scores through open play, but the team was handed a stroke of fortune in the 71st minute when it was awarded a penalty after Diego Perez handled Gokhan Inler’s shot in the area. Cavani stepped up to the spot to beat Gillet with aplomb to bring the hosts back on terms.

The home side upped the tempo slightly after the equalizer, but it was the visitors who went closest to stealing the points, with Marco Di Vaio spurning two chances late on as the match finished all square.

The result sees Napoli remain in sixth place with 28 points, four behind nearest rival Inter. Bologna meanwhile moves into 16th place with 19 points, and is four points off the relegation places.

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