Napoli held late at Lazio as champions Inter lurk / Photo: Filippo MONTEFORTE - AFP
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Napoli held late at Lazio as champions Inter lurk
Napoli were held to a 2-2 draw at Lazio on Saturday after Boulaye Dia snatched a late draw just as the Italian Serie A leaders thought they were set to move four points clear of Inter Milan.
Senegal attacker Dia rolled home a smart low finish in the 87th minute in Rome to deny Napoli victory and give Inter a chance to move top of the pile with a win at Juventus on Sunday.
Champions Inter are two points behind Napoli, who have drawn three matches in a row, ahead of that clash between fierce rivals in Turin.
Napoli looked to be collecting a big three points when Adam Marusic scored a bizarre own goal in the 64th minute, the defender sticking out his left foot to block Giacomo Raspadori's deflected drive only to somehow chip it past goalkeeper Ivan Provedel and into his own net.
It was Raspadori who drilled Napoli level in the 13th minute following a neat exchange of passes with Romelu Lukaku, cancelling out Gustav Isaksen's thumping early opener for Lazio.
Hosts Lazio briefly thought they had immediately levelled the scores through a sensational Mattia Zaccani bicycle kick before the Italy international was ruled offside as he flashed in his exceptional finish.
But Dia made sure Lazio got something from a keenly-contested match in Rome and moved three points ahead of Juve in fourth place.
Marco Baroni's team are on 46 points but will be knocked out of Italy's Champions League positions if Juve beat Inter.
Atalanta slipped up again in their bid for a first Serie A title with a goalless draw with Cagliari which left the Bergamo outfit five points behind Napoli.
Already hit with injuries including that of key attacker Ademola Lookman, Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini dropped first teamers like Marten de Roon, Ederson and Charles De Ketelaere ahead of his team's return leg of a Champions League play-off with Club Brugge.
Atalanta trail that tie 2-1 after a hugely controversial penalty given against the Italians in stoppage of the first leg in Belgium on Wednesday.
Gasperini was forced to bring on De Roon, Ederson and De Ketelaere in the second half as Atalanta struggled to break down resilient Cagliari who are 13th and five points above the relegation zone.
The closest the hosts game to taking the lead was when Marco Brescianini poked home from close range on the hour only for Stefan Posch to be penalised for a foul on Cagliari goalkeeper Elia Caprile.
Caprile also did well to keep out young striker Vanja Vlahovic who came on as a surprise replacement for Mateo Retegui just before Brescianini's goal was ruled out.
AC Milan host Verona in the day's late match hoping to bounce back from their Champions League defeat at Feyenoord.
S.Carlevaro--IM
