Napoli and Genoa played out a highly entertaining 1-1 draw at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. Genoa took a surprise lead through Morten Frendrup in the second half, but Cyrill Ngonge scored a last-gasp equalizer for Napoli on his debut.
Napoli dominated possession in the first half but struggled to breakdown the Genoa defense. Their attackers Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Hamed Traore posed problems but failed to test the goalkeeper. Genoa offered little attacking threat on the break.
After the break, Genoa stunned Napoli by scoring against the run of play. Frendrup reacted quickest to poke in from close range after a loose ball fell to him in the box on 47 minutes. Napoli piled on the pressure in search of an equalizer. Josep Martinez denied them in the Genoa goal with several saves.
⏹️ Full time: #NapoliGenoa 1-1
💙 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/RJ3XtmaRO9
— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) February 17, 2024
Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti made several attacking substitutions, bringing on Ngonge, Raspadori and Mertens. Their pressure finally paid off in dramatic fashion. In the 90th minute, Di Lorenzo played the ball into the box and Ngonge bundled it over the line from close range on his debut for an equalizer.
Late drama ensued as the referee stopped play to check VAR for potential Napoli penalties but none were awarded. Napoli will feel frustrated to not claim all three points after dominating proceedings. Genoa defended stubbornly and took their chance clinically through Frendrup for a surprise lead. But Ngonge’s last gasp goal ensured the spoils were shared on a gripping afternoon in Naples.
Both sides had to settle for a point in an entertaining matchup that saw Napoli dominate possession without being able to break down Genoa until very late on through their substitute Ngonge.
