Napoli overcame Genoa 2-1 thanks to a late goal from Jonathan de Guzman but were pushed hard by a confident Grifone side.
Gonzalo Higuain assisted Jose Callejon who scored after just three minutes, however, it was Genoa who controlled the game in the first half and scored a deserved equaliser through a Mauricio Pinilla header.
Genoa will be disappointed to have conceded in the last minute after dropping deep as Napoli pushed for a winner, although Napoli coach Rafael Benitez will not be impressed by his side’s overall performance.
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Genoa
Mattia Perin – Composed – 7
Performed well despite conceding twice in the game. Saved brilliantly when Insigne was through on goal with minutes left to play. Reliable when called on.
Sebastian De Maio – Untroubled – 6
Performed well and was untroubled until late on during a late Napoli resurgence.
Nicolas Burdisso – Solid – 6
Solid start to the season, however, will be disappointed to concede two careless goals early and late in the game.
Giovanni Marchese– Strong – 6
Played a confident, albeit unglamorous role on the left of a 3-man defense. Crossed to assist for Pinilla’s equaliser.
Luca Antonelli– Crosser – 6
Provided some looping crosses into the box but overall did not leave a lasting impact on the game.
Tomas Rincon– Industrious – 6.5
Worked hard in midfield for the entire game and was the engine in midfield. Needs time to settle into the Genoa midfield.
Stefano Sturaro – Hard working – 6.5
Worked hard in the Genoa midfield and tracked back to aid the defense, however, gave away the ball in several instances with some careless passes.Booked in the second half.
Andrade Edenilson – Promising – 7
Bombed forward and floated several dangerous crosses into the box, meeting their target on several occasions. Useful passing to feet in midfield.
Diego Perotti – Skillful – 6
Patrolled the right flank and made some troubling runs but did not get the better of Zuniga for the majority of the game. Lacked the opportunities to run into the box and was substituted with 21 minutes left.
Mauricio Pinilla– Dangerous – 7.5
Performed well on Genoa debut and looked dangerous in the air on several occasions. Scored a deserved equaliser from an exquisite header after a period of Genoa dominance but went missing in the second half.
Juraj Kucka– Handful – 6
Ran and closed down Napoli for the entire match although and grew tired before being substituted but lacked the cutting edge going forward.
Substitutes
Iago Falque– Competitive – 5
Had an early effort which troubled Rafael and participated in some good attacking play.
Antonio Ragusa – Ineffective – 4
Was booked for giving away a free kick in a dangerous position. Did not leave an impact on the game.
Franco Mussis– Cameo– 4
Failed to leave a lasting impression with a few minutes left in the match.
Napoli
Rafael– Agile – 7
Made several confident saves and was the busiest of the two goalkeepers in the first half, including a double save after a troubling Pinilla header. Had a quiet second half but made amends after a poor midweek display.
Christian Maggio– Ineffective – 5.5
Was largely ineffective in defense and going forward. Did not see enough of the ball on the right.
Raul Albiol – Comfortable – 6.5
Continued where he left of last season with a no-nonsense display. Dealt well with long periods of Genoa pressure. Was booked in the second half.
Kalidou Koulibaly– Promising – 6.5
Did not look convincing at moments but dealt with the long periods of Genoa pressure reasonably well. Looked useful in his Serie A debut and could form a strong partnership with Albiol.
Juan Zuniga– Impactful – 6.5
Got forward to relative success, forcing Perin into a good save from a difficult angle. Assisted de Guzman’s winner with a lofted long ball.
Gokhan Inler– Subdued – 6
Lost the ball needlessly in the first half with several long balls but had a no-nonsense performance in the centre of the pitch.
Jorginho – Teasing – 6
Easily dispossessed on occasions but was comfortable passing throughout the centre of the field for the majority of the game.
Marek Hamsik– Uninspired – 5
Had a poor game and did not see enough of the ball to make a difference. Gave the ball away too frequently and did not challenge Perin in the Genoa goal. Replaced by de Guzman.
Jose Callejon – Lacklustre –6
Finished cleanly from a Higuain cross early on but went missing after a long period of Genoa dominance. Appeared frustrated with his performance after being substituted
Lorenzo Insigne– Disappointing – 5
Ran with the ball in an attempt to challenge the full-back but came out second best for most of the game, losing possession frequently. Went missing for long periods and lacked confidence going forward. Wasted a late opportunity to take the lead.
Gonzalo Higuain – Isolated – 6
Assisted Napoli’s opener early on but looked isolated up front for long periods with little service for the Argentine. Should have done better from an effort early in the second half. Gave away several needless fouls.
Substitutes
Dries Mertens – Energetic – 6
Replaced Callejon just after the hour mark and provided promising balls to Higuain. Shot over the bar from outside the box and had a shot deflected wide in stoppage time.
Jonathan de Guzman –Opportunistic- 7
Scored Napoli winner in injury time from inside the six yard box. In right place at the right time.
Michu – Missing – 4
Arrived late in the game and was unable to make an impact after only a few touches of the ball.
