Napoli victorious at the last gasp (3-2) and remain clinging to their championship ambitions. A crazy match, with Conte’s team outnumbered in the final due to the red card to Juan Jesus who won three very important points at the end of injury time thanks to Hojlund’s first penalty in Serie A (a brace), awarded after a Cornet-Vergara contact in the rossoblù area. For Genoa, only regrets: ahead with Malinovskyi’s penalty (Buongiorno’s mistake nineteen seconds after the start, with Vitinha touched in the area by Meret) and then overturned by the one-two of Hojlund and McTominay before the break, they had the strength to react by re-establishing parity and going in search of the three points against an opponent in great difficulty when they lost McTominay and were left numerically inferior due to the red card to Juan Jesus. But the Scot’s injury (thigh problems, he came off halfway through the match: Giovane took his place) was the contributing cause of the difficulties of Conte’s team in the second half in which Colombo – stealing the ball from the unfortunate Buongiorno – had signed the provisional two-for-two. For Conte’s team, the ending was identical and equally bitter to that of a week ago at the Olimpico, with Cataldi’s decisive penalty in the final injury time.
Current Napoli had the merit of getting back on track after the initial shock (foul by Meret nineteen seconds after the start) with all their quality, despite the pressure from Genoa who never gave up on playing the match on equal terms. Until midway through the match, or at least until the moment in which the Scot from Napoli had to slow down due to his muscular problems, Hojlund and his teammates had made use of their greater technical qualities and great physicality in the middle of the pitch, with McTominay also having his foot in the one-on-one action. In the second half, then, after Colombo’s goal, Genoa tried to go in search of victory, closing Napoli in their half of the pitch, with Conte setting up his team with a 3-4-1-1, where Lobotka went to play play. Napoli in pain trying to defend the draw, before the final joy. For Genoa, same final as the Olimpico with Lazio: there it was Cataldi who punished Genoa from the spot in injury time, this time the film was the same. Heavy points lost in the key to salvation.
