European football: Ndoye’s backheel means Napoli miss chance to close gap

Napoli missed the chance to narrow the gap at the top of Serie A after a 1-1 draw at Bologna, with André-Frank Zambo Anguissa’s first-half goal cancelled out by a moment of magic from the hosts’ Dan Ndoye.

With leaders Inter only managing a draw at Parma on Saturday, Napoli had a chance to close on them, but they remain second with 65 points, three behind. Bologna are fourth on 57 points.

Napoli struck after 18 minutes when Zambo Anguissa seized a loose ball on the halfway line, burst past a stunned Bologna defence, and calmly rounded the goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski to slot the ball into the net.

The moment of the match came in the 64th minute, however, when Bologna’s Ndoye received a pass inside the box and executed a brilliant backheeled flick that hit the underside of the bar before bouncing over the line.

Napoli’s reserve goalkeeper Simone Scuffet, called into the side shortly before kick-off after Alex Meret was taken ill, made a crucial diving save in stoppage time to deny Bologna’s Emil Holm. Bologna are a point clear of fifth-placed Juventus.

In Spain, Valladolid players Luis Pérez and Juan Miguel Latasa have apologised after their heated altercation on the bench during Sunday’s La Liga defeat by Getafe.

The players issued a joined statement condemning their own attitude. “No sporting result or frustration can justify disrespect or the behaviour that we showed yesterday on the bench,” they said. “We want to apologise to our teammates, to the club and to the fans.”

Pérez and Latasa said they personally apologised to the rest of the squad, and will accept any punishment issued by the club.

Valladolid, who are a distant last place in La Liga, 14 points behind the fourth-bottom side, strongly condemned their behaviour in a statement on Monday, adding it was considering disciplinary action. “We deeply regret the image presented by our players,” the club said.

Television images showed Pérez trying to punch Latasa after they argued on the bench, not long after Latasa was substituted in the 60th minute.

On the pitch on Monday, a first league goal for the Osasuna defender Jorge Herrando was cancelled out by a late penalty for relegation-threatened Leganés in an entertaining 1-1 draw.

Osasuna were on top for much of the match and had already had a goal ruled out for a marginal of offsides before Herrando put them ahead early in the second half. Jon Moncayola’s corner was flicked on across goal and the towering centre-half nodded in at the back post.

The visitors should have had the three points wrapped up long before the end but the normally reliable Ante Budimir missed two glorious chances and Leganés got back into the game with a late penalty.

With five minutes left, Sergio González was hauled down in the box and Dani Raba made no mistake from the spot. Osasuna moved up one place to 13th, while Leganés, although still third to last, closed the gap to Alavés – who hold the place above the relegation spots – to two points.