Serie A: Napoli 1 Bologna 1

Sixth-placed Napoli lost valuable ground on the Serie A leaders with a 1-1 home draw against struggling Bologna.

At the final whistle, Napoli were lucky to grab a share of the spoils, with a controversial Edinson Cavani penalty earning them a point.

The drama unfolded in the 71st minute when referee Christian Brighi appeared to award the home side a free kick on the edge of the box for a Diego Perez handling offence.

But then Brighi received a call from his assistant to confirm contact was inside the area, so he pointed to the penalty spot, despite Bologna protesting it had been unintentional.

Cavani stepped up and thumped a powerful penalty down the middle to beat keeper Jean-Francois Gillet.

Marek Hamsik had been the designated taker this season, but he had missed twice so Cavani took over the duties.

Bologna took the surprise lead in the 14th minute after Hugo Campagnaro slipped when trying to intercept Nico Pulzetti’s cross.

This allowed Robert Acquafresca to go clear on goal and he beat the on-rushing Morgan De Sanctis with a well taken opportunist goal.

It was a fine way for the former Cagliari striker to celebrate his 150th Serie A appearance.