Veteran defender Lorenzo De Silvestri came off the bench to hit a stoppage-time equaliser and give Bologna a 1-1 draw at home to Genoa in Serie A on Friday.
Bologna, pushing for a place in Europe, had suffered a 3-0 loss to Udinese in their last game of 2023 and they were looking at another loss in their new year opener.
A free-kick after 20 minutes by Albert Gudmundsson, his eighth goal of the season, gave Genoa the lead.
But 35-year-old De Silvestri, a late substitute for Bologna, rescued a point in the fifth minute of injury time.
The goal prevented his team from slipping to two defeats in a row for the first time this season.
"We showed we had character. This kind of match is important for the development of a young team like ours," insisted De Silvestri.
Bologna remain fifth in the Serie A table with 32 points, just one place from the Champions League spots.