Napoli let go of a two-goal advantage as Bologna fought back to earn a 2-2 draw against the Serie A champions, who are likely to part ways with their title-winning coach Luciano Spalletti.
Spalletti revealed that his Napoli future has been decided before the game, with many expecting the Partenopei boss to leave, but his team seemed focused and determined at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara.
Victor Osimhen capitalized on an early blunder by Lukasz Skorupski to break the deadlock before adding another goal after 54 minutes with a strong finish across the goal.
However, Lewis Ferguson reduced the gap just after the hour mark before De Silvestri headed home with six minutes left, and only the offside flag stopped Nicola Sansone from scoring a late winner as Napoli had to settle for a point.
A dreadful pass from Bologna goalkeeper Skorupski handed Napoli their 14th-minute opener as Osimhen intercepted on the edge of the box and slotted into an empty net.
Skorupski somewhat redeemed himself by denying both Osimhen and Alessio Zerbin as Napoli looked to increase their lead before half-time.
Marko Arnautovic missed a rare Bologna opportunity after the break before Osimhen extended Napoli’s lead.
The Napoli striker controlled Bartosz Bereszynski’s delicate throughball before firing through Skorupski’s legs.
An unmarked Ferguson pulled one back shortly after, tapping in a rebound after Pierluigi Gollini saved from Sansone, who later assisted De Silvestri’s headed equaliser with a superb corner.
Sansone then thought he had snatched a late victory with a one-on-one finish, only to be denied by a late offside flag.
Napoli slightly faltered after securing the title at Udinese, narrowly defeating Fiorentina and losing to Monza before comfortably beating a weakened Inter last time out.
The Serie A champions were once again victims of their own relaxed approach, seemingly happy to sit on their two-goal lead with nothing at stake before Bologna responded in the closing stages.
With Spalletti likely on his way out and Napoli stars Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia attracting transfer interest, the Partenopei will be disappointed to end a memorable season in this fashion.
Osimhen is in a league of his own
Manchester United, Chelsea and Bayern Munich are all said to be competing for the Nigeria striker’s signature when the transfer window opens ahead of next season.
Osimhen continues to enjoy a remarkable campaign, leading the Serie A charts with 25 goals – one more than in his last two league seasons combined (10 in 2020-21 and 14 in 2021-22).
Facing the champions with nothing to play for, Bologna were always going to face a tough task against a squad boasting world-class talent.
Yet Skorupski gifted Napoli the early advantage with his costly mistake, passing from his own byline straight to Osimhen – although Bologna’s late goal spared him some blushes.
Napoli wrap up their title-winning campaign at home to already relegated Sampdoria next Sunday, when Bologna visit Lecce.
