Fiorentina, Napoli draw to delight of league-leaders Juventus
Desperate to keep pace with Serie A leaders Juventus, Napoli, and Fiorentina locked horns Monday at the Stadio Artemio Franchi looking for three points.
Instead, the two sides shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw, with i Ciucciarelli three points adrift of Max Allegri's four-time defending Serie A champs and La Viola sitting in fourth place, eight points back of Juve.
A match that could have been taut and cramped was anything but.
The opening minutes were not short on excitement, with Marcos Alonso handing the hosts a sixth-minute lead only for Gonzalo Higuain to profit from a defensive miscue to level matters a minute later.
Related - VIDEOS: Higuain levels moments after Alonso hands La Viola early lead
La Viola shot-stopper Ciprian Tatarusanu ensured the scoreline stayed level with a stunning double save on Jose Callejon and Higuain in the second half.
Higuain's goal was his 25th league tally of the season, putting him joint top in Europe's big five leagues with Barcelona striker Luis Suarez.
The Argentine international was inches wide of being the hero Monday, but a goal five minutes from time was rightly called offside by the linesman.