Serie A: Fiorentina move second after Napoli lose at Bologna
Napoli missed the chance to reclaim top spot in Serie A as it fell to a surprise 3-2 defeat at relegation-threatened Bologna on Sunday and slipped to third after Fiorentina beat Udinese 3-0.
Fiorentina moved second, a point behind Inter Milan and one ahead of Napoli.
Bologna has 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 boss.
"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 Verona stayed at the bottom of the table after a 1-0 loss to Empoli. It remained nine points behind 17th-placed Palermo, which lost 3-0 at 10-man Atalanta.
Frosinone lost 2-0 at home to Chievo Verona and remained in the relegation zone, along with Carpi which held inconsistent AC Milan to a 0-0 draw.
Roma and Juventus round out the top five with Sassuolo sixth in its third season in Serie A after a 3-1 win at Sampdoria, which lost its 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. Home team goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano prevented an even worse result for Sampdoria and Ervin Zukanovic grabbed a last-minute consolation.
Napoli was looking to move back top following Inter's 1-0 win against Genoa on Saturday. It had only lost one game in all competition, winning 14 and drawing four since the season-opening defeat, while scoring 42 goals and conceding eight.
But Bologna had won two and drawn one after Donadoni took over and was eager to bounce back from last week's defeat at Torino and 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 it found itself 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 counter as Destro fired past an uncertain Reina.
Higuain reduced the deficit in the 87th 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 it could leapfrog Napoli with a win but it took a moment of fortune 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 wrongfoot the goalkeeper. The goal was awarded to Badelj.
Udinese almost immediately leveled but Cyril Thereau's attempt crashed off the post.
Fiorentina doubled its advantage just after the hour 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 as the scoreline flattered Fiorentina.
