Genoa 3-2 Inter: Kamikaze Grifone get their just desserts

Date: 23rd May 2015 at 10:39pm
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A fearless Genoa won 3-2 against Inter at the Stadio Ferraris, twice coming from behind, in Serie A’s evening kickoff on Saturday.

Mauro Icardi opened the scoring before Leonardo Pavoletti found the equaliser for Genoa. In a hotly contested first half, Rodigo Palacio restored Inter’s lead quickly after; but Maxime Lestienne would then level four minutes later, pouncing on an Andrea Ranocchia error. Juraj Kucka would seal a sensational win in the dying embers of the game.

Maxime Lestienne proved the most dangerous in the opening moments. In fact Lestienne twice saw his efforts parried away, before his best chance came on 15 minutes.

Iago Falque, with room inside the area down the right, curled in a cross with the outside of his foot; Lestienne charged down the cross but failed to make proper contact to push the ball in.

The even contest was soon after broken, with Hernanes whipping in a deep cross from the left and towards the far-post. Icardi won his aerial duel, heading the ball down, and poked it past the onrushing Mattia Perin to open the scoring on 19 minutes.

Inter’s goal spurred Genoa on, who only needed five minutes to obtain the equaliser. Andrea Bertolacci found Pavoletti at the edge of the area, who quickly spun and fired a half-volley into the bottom corner.

Inter increased the pressure, which Genoa matched in midfield. The Grifone’s defence soon succumbed to the waves of Inter’s offensives however, with Palacio restoring the Nerazzurri’s lead on 30 minutes. It took a clever no-look touch from Icardi to spring Genoa’s high offside trap, releasing Palacio one-on-one and who made no mistake side-footing the ball past Perin.

At 2-1 Genoa looked out of ideas, but certainly not out of the fight. Pavoletti on 32 minutes, once again with a quick turn and shot, found his effort crash against the crossbar.

But even if the score was not, luck still looked to favor Genoa. Twice and within minute Icardi thought he had scored, but only for the linesman to twice whistle him offside in the 38th minute.

Genoa’s perseverance soon paid off however, as miscommunication between Ranocchia and Handanovic saw them both fail to clear danger, allowing Lestienne to grab his just desserts by stroking the ball into an empty net. Genoa had found their equaliser on 41 minutes, going into the break level with Inter.

As expected, the second half did not match the prior 45 minutes’ intensity. However, Genoa still poured forward and were the main protagonists coming back from the break. With the score still at 2-2, Genoa looked the likelier team to score, with the Grifone front-three causing all sorts of havoc.

Inter’s best attack saw the post and the crossbar come to Perin’s rescue, with both Hernanes and Marcelo Brozovic successively denied by the woodwork in the 74th minute.

In the end it was Kucka who grabbed a last-gasp winner in the 89th minute, heading home Edenilson’s free-kick and sealing an impressive 3-2 win.

 

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