Hojlund’s Stoppage-Time Heroics: 10-Man Napoli Stun Genoa in 5-Goal Thriller | Genoa vs Napoli: 2-3
If you turned your TV off at the 90th minute, you missed the season-defining moment for Antonio Conte’s men. In a match that had everything—early penalties, long-range screamers, and a late red card—Napoli emerged from the Luigi Ferraris with all three points thanks to the composure of Rasmus Højlund.
Match Summary
The game got off to a nightmare start for the visitors. In the very first minute, a defensive mix-up forced Alex Meret to bring down Vitinha. Ruslan Malinovskyi stepped up and confidently buried the penalty to give Genoa an early lead.
Napoli didn’t stay down for long. In the 20th minute, Rasmus Højlund pounced on a rebound to equalize. Just 115 seconds later, the turnaround was complete when Scott McTominay unleashed a thunderous strike from 35 yards that flew into the bottom corner.
Genoa fought back in the second half, with Lorenzo Colombo capitalizing on a Buongiorno error to make it 2-2.
The Stoppage Time Drama
The momentum shifted heavily toward Genoa when Juan Jesus was shown a second yellow card in the 76th minute, leaving Napoli to defend with 10 men.
Just as a draw seemed inevitable, Antonio Vergara was fouled in the box by Maxwell Cornet deep into stoppage time. After a tense VAR review, the penalty was upheld. Højlund stepped up in the 95th minute and squeezed his shot under Justin Bijlow to secure a massive victory.
The Scudetto Race
This win keeps Napoli’s title defense alive, moving them to 49 points—just six behind league leaders Inter Milan. Despite an ever-growing injury list (including McTominay, who left the pitch early), Conte’s side showed the “grinta” required to stay in the hunt.
