Napoli’s goal drought continues with 2-0 loss to Bologna

MILAN (AP):

Napoli are struggling to find goals without Kevin De Bruyne.

Antonio Conte’s side lost 2-0 at Bologna yesterday as it failed to score for a third successive match, despite their opponents playing with a teenage, third-choice goalkeeper.

The defeat also saw Napoli lose top spot in Serie A as they were leapfrogged by Roma and Inter Milan. Inter beat Lazio 2-0 and Roma also defeated Udinese 2-0.

The top five are separated by just three points, with Napoli and AC Milan two points below the new leaders and one above Bologna.

De Bruyne was injured in a 3-1 win over Inter last month and will likely be out until the new year. Napoli managed a 1-0 win at Lecce in their first match without the former Manchester City midfielder, but followed that up with goalless draws against Como and then Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League.

After Milan’s draw at Parma the previous day, Napoli knew they could move clear at the top of Serie A with a win yesterday.

And their chances appeared to grow when Bologna goalkeeper Łukasz Skorupski had to go off in the eighth minute with a muscle injury and the 17-year-old Massimo Pessina was handed his senior debut.

However, Napoli never really tested the ‘keeper and Bologna broke the deadlock five minutes into the second half despite losing another player — Jonathan Rowe — to injury.

His replacement, Nicolò Cambiaghi, set up the opener as he got down the left and then rolled the ball across for Thijs Dallinga to slot in at the near post.

Bologna doubled their lead in the 66th minute with Colombia defender Jhon Lucumí heading in a cross for his first Serie A goal.

ROMA MOVE TOP

Roma defender Zeki Çelik scored his first Serie A goal to seal the win that sent Roma top of the standings.

Celik finished off a well-worked move in the 61st minute after a one-two with Gianluca Mancini to double Roma’s lead in the 61st minute.

The Turkey international had only scored once, in the Europa League, in his three previous seasons at Roma.

Lorenzo Pellegrini had fired Roma in front from the spot, shortly before half-time after Udinese defender Hassane Kamara had been penalised for handball.

Inter kicked off their match against Lazio shortly after Roma’s victory and it took the Nerazzurri less than three minutes to seize the lead, with Lautaro Martínez bending a finish into the far top corner.

Ange-Yoan Bonny tapped Federico Dimarco’s cross into the net in the 62nd.

NEW MANAGEMENT

New Genoa coach Daniele De Rossi and his Fiorentina counterpart Paolo Vanoli debuted with an entertaining 2-2 draw, that also saw a penalty save by David De Gea.

Fiorentina remained bottom of the table, three points from safety.

Atalanta were pushed further into crisis with a 3-0 defeat at home to Sassuolo.

It was a seventh league match without a win for Atalanta, who beat Marseille in the Champions League midweek.