Bologna rescued a late point against Napoli this afternoon, moving out of the bottom three courtesy of a 2-2 draw.
The hosts took the lead in the 37th minute when Rolando Bianchi glanced a header into the far corner to send his side into the halfway stage with a surprise advantage.
Napoli hit back in the second half, however, with Gonzalo Higuain scoring from the spot and Jose Callejon completing the comeback with a composed finish 10 minutes from time.
Bologna's chances seemed to be over when Panagiotis Kone was shown a second yellow card for kicking the ball away, but they clinched an unlikely point when Bianchi fired home his second from close range in stoppage time.
You can read how an entertaining 90 minutes unfolded with Sports Mole's live coverage of the match below.
Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's Serie A encounter between struggling Bologna and high-flying Napoli. Both sides are in need of a win for very different reasons today, so we should have an intriguing match on our hands.
Let's start by looking at our hosts tonight, who will be hoping that Davide Ballardini is able to do what he has forged a career out of - keeping clubs in the top flight. His first match in charge yielded a decent point against Lazio, but the style of play is unlikely to win any admirers. Ballardini's philosophy is based on strength at the back and preventing the other team from playing, so expect plenty of low-scoring matches during his tenure.
Still, if it keeps the club in the division, Bologna fans won't be complaining. Ballardini does have some work to do for that to happen, however. Despite picking up a point against Lazio, his side slid down into the relegation due to those below them winning. They now sit 18th in the table, one points from safety.
The hosts have won just once in their last 10 matches in all competitions, with a 2-0 defeat to bottom club Catania being the final straw for the owners, who sacked Stefano Pioli and appointed Ballardini after that game. They have picked up points on a fairly regular basis, with four draws from those 10 matches, but it is the failure to turn those draws into victories that has really hurt Bologna this season.
No team has won fewer games this season than Bologna, who have managed just three victories in their 19 outings. However, they have also lost the joint fewest amount of games in the bottom seven. Goalscoring has been a major issue for the Rossoblu, having found the net just 17 times so far - the fourth worst tally in the league. Things aren't much better at the other end of the field either, with 33 goals conceded also being the fourth worst tally in the league. Still, if Bologna end the season in the fourth lowest place in the league, they will be happy enough with that.
Their recent home form has been respectable, but again the issue of failing to win games is evident. Only league leaders Juventus have won here in the last six matches, but Bologna themselves have only picked up three points in front of their own fans on two occasions all season. Those victories came against Genoa and Livorno, so it is fair to say that they haven't pulled off any 'giant killings' at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara.
That is exactly what they would have to do today, with Napoli currently riding high in the league. A win is important for them if they want to keep pace with the top two, who don't seem to be dropping points with any sort of regularity this season. Following the results yesterday, which saw both Juventus and Roma win, Napoli are now five points behind second, but that gap will look a whole lot better if they can claw it back to two today. Behind them, they are five points clear of Fiorentina in fifth, so a win is equally as important to maintain that gap.
Rafael Benitez's side come into this match in fine form having not been beaten in their last eight matches in all competitions and their last six in the league. They have had a perfect start to 2014, scoring eight goals and conceding just one in their three wins so far this year.
While finding the net has been a problem for Bologna, Napoli have been experiencing no such troubles. Only Juventus and Roma have scored more than Benitez's side this season, and they have both played a game more. Napoli's tally of 41 goals currently trails Roma's by one, so we could see them move into second in the scoring stakes this afternoon.
At the other end of the pitch, it is more of the same. Once again only the top two have conceded fewer than Napoli, whose defence has been breached just 20 times in 19 games. Against a Bologna side that will be more focused on holding out for a draw than going for a win, Rafael Benitez will be confident that his side can keep another clean sheet this evening.
Napoli's away form this season have been very impressive, with only runaway leaders Juventus amassing more points on their travels. Benitez has seen his side pick up 19 of their 42 points away from home, losing just twice. Indeed, they have lost just three times, home and away, all season, which would usually be enough to at least be in touch with the league leaders. However, Juventus and, to a lesser extent, Roma have set the bar very high this year.
BOLOGNA STARTING XI: Curci; Antonsson, Natali, Cherubin; Garics, Kone, Perez, Pazienza, Morleo; Diamanti; Bianchi
NAPOLI STARTING XI: Rafael; Maggio, Fernandez, Albiol, Reveillere; Inler, Dzemaili; Mertens, Pandev, Callejòn; Higuain
PREDICTION: Bologna showed against Lazio last week that they can close out a game and play for a 0-0 draw. Ballardini may have only named three defenders, but the five in front won't drift too far away from those three, and the majority of the attacking will be done by only Diamanti and Bianchi. However, Napoli are a level above Lazio at the moment and should have the quality required to break down what will be a stubborn rearguard action from Bologna. I don't see many goals, but Napoli should forge more chances than Lazio managed last week. I'll go for a 2-0 win to the visitors.
There are five other matches kicking off at 2pm in Serie A this afternoon, and I will keep you updated with major events from all of them as and when they happen.
It really is a miserable day in Bologna, with the rain pouring down. Still, the home fans are in good voice and perhaps rightly so. The weather conditions will probably favour their side as Napoli will find it harder to play their quick, attacking style of football.
KICKOFF: Bologna get us underway in this match as they look to keep their unbeaten record under Ballardini and, perhaps, climb out of the relegation zone. Can they do it, or will Napoli prove too powerful for the hosts?
Napoli make an early break down the left wing and the subsequent cross is only cleared as far as Dzemaili on the edge of the box. He hits it first time and catches it well, but the direction is off and it flies some way wide.
Bologna are looking a bit more ambitious than they did against Lazio in these early stages. They have made a couple of decent breaks down either flank, but neither have come to anything substantial so far. Still, the signs are promising that we won't see another bore draw today.
The visibility is really poor today on a foggy afternoon in Italy. That, in addition to the wet conditions, could have an impact on this match.
Decent sight of goal for the hosts as a low cross is cut back towards Kone. He has escaped his marker and gets a good shot away, but it is well blocked before it can trouble Rafael in the Napoli goal.
It is good to see Bologna pushing further up the pitch and not being too cautious about committing men forward against a Napoli side who can break very quickly and dangerously. Diamanti is likely to be the hosts' more dangerous player this afternoon, so they will try to get the ball to him whenever possible.
Mertens finds a bit of space outside the box and goes for goal. His shot is blocked and the ball loops up and just over the bar. That wasn't too far away, and Curci was rooted to the spot following the deflection.
This has been an even start to this match, which the hosts will be happy with. A draw would be a very good result for them this afternoon and, so far, they have matched their more illustrious opponents.
We're still waiting for our first real chance in this match as both sides struggle to break down the opposition's defence.
YELLOW CARD! Albiol becomes the first man in the referee's notebook for a foul on Bianchi after the Bologna striker had nicked the ball off him in an advanced area.
CHANCE! The best chance of the match so far falls the way of the hosts as Diamanti whips a fine ball into the box from the free kick that was awarded for Albiol's foul. Natali finds himself unmarked in the middle of the box and has a free header, but he gets it all wrong and can't steer it on target. He should have done better there.
UPDATE: Chievo have broken the deadlock against Parma in their match, Alberto Paloschi getting the first goal of the 2pm kickoffs in Serie A this afternoon.
Things have got a bit scrappy in this game in the last few minutes. Neither side have been able to create anything dangerous in open play so far, with the only real chance of the match falling the way of Bologna from a free kick.
Napoli do have options on the bench if this one remains goalless going into the second half. Most notable of all is Marek Hamsik, who scored twice against Bologna on the opening day of the season on the way to a 3-0 win for Napoli.
The dangerous Napoli attackers haven't really got going in this match so far. Higuain has barely been involved at all, while Pandev, Mertens and Callejon are also struggling to make an impact at the moment. Credit must go to the Bologna defence for that, not many teams have been able to keep Napoli quiet up front this season. Still a long way to go, though.
UPDATE: Good news for Bologna as Torino take the lead against Sassuolo courtesy of a Ciro Immobile strike. Elsewhere, Fiorentina have scored twice in quick succession to take a 2-0 lead over Catania, while Parma have missed a penalty against Chievo and still trail 1-0.
Diamanti does really look a class above some of this teammates. He spins away from a couple of Napoli challenges and immediately drives at the heart of the defence. He is unable to get the ball onto his stronger left foot, however, instead sending a right-footed effort well off target. Positive stuff from the playmaker, though.
UPDATE: Parma have overcome that missed penalty and are now level with Chievo thanks to an Antonio Cassano strike.
Napoli haven't shown enough in the final third in this match so far. They need a win if they are to stay in touch with Roma in second, while Fiorentina would also be closing the gap on them as things stand.
CLOSE! Good play from Bianchi as he gets in front of his man to latch on to a cross towards the front post. He gets good contact on his header but can only steer it a few yards wide of the target.
Diamanti is penalised for a foul and it is fair to say he isn't happy about it! He makes his point in a long and animated chat with the referee, and he is fortunate not to go into the book for dissent. He is a fiery character, that's for sure.
GOAL! Bologna 1-0 Napoli (Rolando Bianchi)
Bologna take the lead against the giants of Napoli! Diamanti had started to drift into the wide areas in the last few moments and it is from the left wing that he swings a superb ball into the box. Bianchi completely loses Albiol in the box before glancing a fine header into the far corner. That was a really good goal from the hosts, and it is just Bianchi's second of the season.
That is just about the worst thing that could have happened for Napoli. Not only do they now have a one-goal deficit, but Bologna are likely to sit back and defend this lead now. Under Ballardini they are certainly capable of doing that, so Napoli will have to drastically improve if they are to come away from this match with three points.
UPDATE: Fiorentina look like they will be taking full advantage of any slip up from Napoli as Alessandro Matri has got his second of the match to extend his side's lead to 3-0 against Catania. The gap between third and fourth would be two points if everything stays the same.
You can't say that Bologna don't deserve this lead. I expected the hosts to play for a 0-0 draw having watched them do that in their last outing against Lazio, but they have been more expansive this afternoon and have had all of the chances.
There will be just the one minute of added time at the end of this half.
CHANCE! Big chance for Napoli to level things up right on the stroke of half time. The ball is clipped over the defence and Callejon has timed his run to perfection and is clean through on goal. He tries a flicked backward header over the keeper, but his effort lands on the roof of the net. That is by far the best chance of the game for Napoli.
HALF TIME: Bologna 1-0 Napoli
Well, who saw this coming? I certainly didn't. I expected Napoli to dominate possession and Bologna to stubbornly defend their own goal, but it has not been like that at all. Instead, the hosts have taken a deserved 1-0 lead into half time after a much-improved first-half performance. Napoli did not create anything until the final minute of the half, and Davide Ballardini will be delighted with what he has seen from his team so far.
Rolando Bianchi got the goal for the hosts, and it was a good one too. Diamanti was the architect as usual, whipping a delightful ball into the box that the striker glanced into the bottom corner with a fine header. He showed great movement to lose Albiol before connecting with the header too, so it was a high-quality goal all round for Bologna.
Bianchi had given Napoli a warning shot just six minutes prior to breaking the deadlock, again gambling at the front post and getting in front of his marker to latch on to a cross. On that occasion he sent his effort wide of the near post, but it gave him a sighter for his later effort.
The hosts also had a decent opportunity in the 16th minute as Diamanti again delivered a dangerous cross into the area from a free kick. This time it was Natali who got his head onto the end of it, but he miscued his header and sent it well wide despite being unmarked in the middle of the box.
Napoli, meanwhile, have only had one sight of goal so far, and that came right at the end of the half. It fell to Callejon, who timed his run really well to beat the offside trap before flicking a backward header just over the bar and onto the roof of the net. That was the only time that the visitors have breached Bologna's defence so far, something that the hosts deserve plenty of credit for.
Benitez will be leaving his side in no doubt that they need to improve in the second half. As things stand, they will remain five points behind second-placed Roma, while fourth-placed Fiorentina will close the gap to the final Champions League place to just two points. Throwing caution to the wind is not Benitez's natural style, but he may be forced to do exactly that in the second half. I wonder how long it will be before we see Hamsik.
Ballardini, meanwhile, will just be asking for more of the same from his side. The longer the match goes on, the more defensive I expect the hosts to become as they look to close out what would be three valuable points, but he will also be considering the impact a second goal for his side would have. If Napoli put in a repeat performance in the second half, they can perhaps take more risks as they will be in less danger of conceding with the visitors not firing on all cylinders.
KICKOFF: We're back underway at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, with Napoli kicking us off for the second half. Can they overturn this deficit or will Bologna hold out for a shock victory?
Napoli need to show more urgency in this second half than they did in the first, and they have started quite brightly here. They are putting more crosses into the box, but so far they are all being dealt with by the defence. I'm not sure aerial balls are the best avenue of attack for the visitors.
Benitez usually makes subs around the hour mark, which would give Napoli 30 minutes to turn things around if things stay the same until then. They have the likes of Hamsik and Insigne on the bench, so they certainly have players capable of changing the game.
The ball is slid through to Bianchi who, for a moment, looks like he is clean through on goal. However, the linesman correctly raises his flag as the goalscorer went a fraction too early and was offside.
There is simply not enough room in the middle of the park for Napoli to make progress there at the moment. As a result, they are being forced out wide and have to deliver high crosses into the box that the Bologna defence are dealing with comfortably.
YELLOW CARD! Bianchi goes into the book having been flagged for offside but still putting the ball into the back of the net after the whistle had gone.
YELLOW CARD! Kone joins his teammate in the book for a foul on Mertens. Bologna are unhappy that an earlier tackle on Diamanti wasn't penalised, and that was evident in the tackle. Saying that, both Mertens and Diamanti overreacted to the respective challenges.
NAPOLI SUB: Here is the expected change as Hamsik comes on in place of Pandev, who has been anonymous this afternoon.
Curci gets away with one there! He spills a fairly routine save from a free kick, but Bologna's defender's show great desire to get back and clear the danger before Higuain can capitalise.
WHAT A MISS! What a terrible miss that is from from Higuain, of all people! Callejon whipped a fine ball into the area and Higuain was no more than seven yards out, but he put his header a few yards wide when he simply had to score.
PENALTY TO NAPOLI!
GOAL! Bologna 1-1 Napoli (Gonzalo Higuain)
Bologna are furious at the moment! Napoli are awarded a penalty after Dzemaili was bundled over in the box by Kone, who is lucky not to get a second yellow. The Bologna players surround and shove the ref, and Garics is shown a yellow in the midst of all the drama. Eventually Higuain steps up and, moments after missing a sitter, blasts his spot kick into the roof of the net.
CLOSE! The tide is turning in this one! Mertens delivers a superb ball into the box from a free kick, and it bounces just a couple of yards wide of the post. Hamsik was also very close to getting something on that, and it would have been a simple finish from close range for the sub.
YELLOW CARD! Pazienza becomes the latest Bologna player in the book for a rash challenge. The hosts have lost their heads a bit since that penalty, and the whole atmosphere of the match has changed.
Suddenly, after Napoli had struggled to create anything really threatening going forward, they are now looking like the side most likely to go on and win this. Bologna are still feeling hard done by over the penalty but they need to forget about it.
Bologna fail to deal with a ball into the box and, despite having two chances to clear, gift the ball to Mertens. He flicks the ball over his head but can't get sufficient power on his shot to trouble Curci.
Napoli are beginning to look more like the side who have been so impressive away from home so far this season. It is the visitors who are now asking all the question and they are getting through the Bologna defence a lot more often now.
Inler wins a free kick in a really good position for his side, playing some one-touch passes to draw the mis-timed challenge. This is a chance for the visitors.
BOLOGNA SUB: Before the free kick is taken, the hosts make a change as Cherubin limps off to be replaced by Andrea Mantovani.
SAVE! It is a wicked free kick from Mertens, curling towards the top corner with plenty of pace on it. Curci started making his way over to the opposite side of the goal early, though, so gets there in plenty of time to tip the effort wide.
Brilliant play from Mertens as he bursts past one defender with a fine touch before skipping over a second challenge to cut into the area. His next touch is just a little too heavy, however, giving the defender a chance to clear.
Nice football from Bologna as they work their way up the pitch before Bianchi clips a clever pass over the defender for Kone. He goes for an ambitious first-time volley but completely fluffs his shot and sends it wide.
BOLOGNA SUB: The hosts make a change as Perez comes off to be replaced by Christodoulopoulos.
NAPOLI SUB: The visitors also make a change and it is Mertens who makes way to be replaced by Lorenzo Insigne.
GOAL! Bologna 1-2 Napoli (Jose Callejon)
Napoli have turned this one around! Dzemaili does really well to win the ball in midfield and from there it is all about the speed with which Napoli break. Higuain collects and pass and immediately pokes the ball through to Callejon, who calmly picks out the bottom corner with only the keeper to beat.
BOLOGNA SUB: Ballardini responds to going behind by making a change as Morleo is replaced by Robert Acquafresca.
Bologna just fire a warning shot to tell Napoli that this one isn't over. Garics makes his way down the right and gets a low cross into the box that Bianchi is close to connecting with.
RED CARD! Panagiotis Kone (Bologna)
That is just so stupid from Kone. With his side still in this match he gets himself sent off for a petulant offence as he kicks the ball away after been penalised for a foul. It was clearly a free kick, and he knew what the consequences would be if he kicked it away, but he still does it and subsequently is shown a second yellow card. Surely that is game over now.
Higuain thinks that he is through for a third goal, and one that would surely seal all three points for his side, but the linesman raises his flag just after the striker had rounded the keeper. That was a correct decision as the Argentine was two or three yards off.
This has been a much-improved Napoli performance in the second half, and you can trace the source back to Hamsik's introduction. The sub has not done anything particularly special since coming on, but his appearance seemed to give the visitors a boost and also gave the Bologna defence a more threatening player to deal with.
GOAL! Bologna 2-2 Napoli (Rolando Bianchi)
Incredibly, 10-man Bologna have equalised! Napoli failed to deal with a corner into the box and Bianchi had peeled off unnoticed to the back post. The ball eventually reached the striker, and he took a touch before lashing a shot past Rafael and into the net. Has he just rescued a priceless point for his side?
There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this match. We've already had two of them, will the final minute provide any more late drama?
FULL TIME: Bologna 2-2 Napoli
The Bologna players are celebrating the draw like they have just won the game, and it must feel a bit like that. They led until the 62nd minute, but Callejon's late goal looked like sending them packing with nothing to show for their considerable efforts. Kone's red card didn't help matters, but still they managed to claw their way back into the game and nick a point in stoppage time of the second half.
That is a big blow for Napoli, who must have thought they had all three points tied up once Bologna were reduced to 10 men. They now sit four points behind Roma in second, while Fiorentina have closed the gap to three points. Bologna, meanwhile, remain unbeaten under Davide Ballardini, although today's match was a much more entertaining spectacle than last week's stalemate with Lazio. The draw is enough to lift them out of the bottom three, more importantly, where they are replaced by Sassuolo.
Right, that's all we have time for this afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for what was a thoroughly entertaining match between Bologna and Napoli. The visitors' faint title hopes took what could be a fatal blow as Bologna scored a late equaliser to move out of the bottom three despite being reduced to 10 men. Stay tuned for our match report, which should be on site shortly, while there is plenty more live football for you throughout the rest of the day, including Clarence Seedorf's first game in charge of AC Milan as they host Hellas Verona. Kickoff for that is at 7.45pm. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
