Genoa held Napoli to a goalless draw at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in their Sunday afternoon Serie A fixture.
Both sides had chances to snatch a win, but resolute defending and a number of injuries dulled an otherwise dramatic fixture.
The visitors threatened first, Jose Callejon curling a shot toward the corner, forcing Mattia Perin into a save to his bottom right. Then Dries Mertens tried his luck, but his shot ran just wide of the far post. The Azzurri then had a penalty appeal turned down when Nicolas Burdisso seemed to tug Gonzalo Higuain down in the box. The Argentinian had the one attempt, which had Perin scrambling but eventually went behind for a goal-kick.
In the second half the game opened up with both sides having chances. Higuain had his shot blocked crucially by Cristian Ansaldi in front of Perin, while at the other end Leonardo Pavoletti raced into the penalty area, but was closed down by the Napoli defenders. Callejon tried to wind up a shot to the bottom left, but he dragged it wide.
Diego Perotti set up one of the better chances for the Grifone, lifting the ball into the box for Pavoletti, but Kalidou Koulibaly cleared it away. Then Diogo Figueiras had an attempt from distance, but easily claimed by Pepe Reina. Hamsik had the chance to win it at the other end, but Perin denied him from close range. Lorenzo Insigne and Higuain got in each other’s way in a goal-line scramble, the ball eventually bobbing wide of the post.
Perin kept his first clean sheet of the season, denying Insigne twice from distance in the dying minutes.
