Napoli 2-3 Bologna: Rowe´s late winner swings Champions League race wide open

Napoli missed the chance to tighten their grip on a spot in the Champions League next season after Jonathan Rowe’s 91st-minute winner earned Bologna a 3-2 win on Monday.

A victory would have given Antonio Conte’s men a six-point cushion over the chasing pack with two Serie A games left, but they instead remain just three points above fifth.

The Stadio Diego Armando Maradona was stunned into silence in the ninth minute when Federico Bernardeschi combined well with Juan Miranda before taking a touch and arrowing a sensational drive into the top-right corner.

It could have got even better for the visitors three minutes later, but Miranda’s shot cannoned against the crossbar, but Bologna did double their advantage through Riccardo Orsolini’s 34th-minute penalty, with the spot-kick awarded following a VAR review after Giovanni Di Lorenzo kicked through Miranda.

But Di Lorenzo atoned for his earlier error in first-half stoppage time with a brilliant finish at the near post after Rasmus Hojlund’s pass deflected kindly to him off Remo Freuler.

And just three minutes after the restart, Napoli hauled themselves level when Di Lorenzo’s long punt was collected by Hojlund, who laid the ball off for Santos to strike first time beyond Pessina.

Both sides threatened a late winner, and it was Bologna who got it in second-half stoppage time through Rowe, who acrobatically volleyed home after Vanja Milinkovic-Savic had parried Miranda’s shot into his path.

Full time#NapoliBologna 2-3

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Data Debrief: Bologna breach the Maradona

Napoli’s Champions League push was built on their strong form at the Maradona, but defeat to Bologna means they have now lost two of their last three Serie A matches in front of their home support, as many defeats as they had in their previous 35 home matches in the competition.

And their latest slip up not only has them looking nervously over their shoulders, but it also ensured that Bologna won both their league matches against Napoli this season for the first time since 2001-02.

But they left it late to seal the win. Rowe’s winner, timed at 90 minutes and 30 seconds, is the latest Bologna have scored against Napoli in Serie A since Rolando Bianchi’s goal at 89:52 on 19 January 2014.

Vincenzo Italiano’s side were deserving of their win too, having registered an expected goals (xG) total of 1.32 from their 10 shots compared to Napoli’s 0.75 from their 15 attempts, five of which were on target.