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Napoli logo
Serie A
Feb 24, 2014 at 8pm UK
 
Genoa logo

1-1

Higuain (18')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Calaio (84')

Live Commentary: Napoli 1-1 Genoa - as it happened

Relive Sports Mole's text commentary of the Serie A match between Napoli and Genoa at the Stadio San Paolo in Naples.
2

Napoli and Genoa met in their Serie A match at the Stadio San Paolo.

The hosts dominated the first half and they took the lead through Gonzalo Higuain's strike.

With six minutes left to play Emanuele Calaio scored a free kick against his parent club to earn a point for Genoa.

Read how the action unfolded blow.


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Good evening and thank you for joining Sports Mole for live text commentary of the Serie A match between Napoli and Genoa at the Stadio San Paolo.

NAPOLI XI: Reina, Reveillere, Fernandez, Albiol, Ghoulam, Behrami, Jorginho, Mertens, Hamsik, Callejon, Higuain

GENOA XI: Perin, Burdisso, De Maio, Antonini, Motta, Matuzalem, Bertolacci, Antonelli, Konate, Gilardino, Sculli

NAPOLI SUBS: Contini, Colombo, Henrique, Britos, Maggio, Inler, Dzemaili, Radosevic, Insigne, Pandev, Duvan Zapata

GENOA SUBS: Perin; Burdisso, De Maio, Antonini; Motta, Matuzalem, Bertolacci, Antonelli; Konate, Gilardino, Sculli

KICKOFF! We are underway at the Stadio San Paolo!

CHANCE! The home side have started this game strongly and Higuain is inches away from giving them the lead, as he picks up the ball on the edge of the box, before turning and bending an effort wide.

It is all Napoli in the opening stages and Hamsik plays in a fierce low ball from the right that takes a slight deflection and needs to be pushed away from goal by Perin.

CHANCE! Napoli continue to press and Mertens cuts in from the left, before attempting to curl an effort into the top right hand corner, which is tipped over the bar by the keeper.

Genoa have started to get on the ball a little more and have enjoyed a decent spell of possession over the past couple of minutes. They are looking to play in Gilardino down the channels, but he has been caught out three times already this evening.

CHANCE! Callejon shows good skill to burst through the midfield and feed Mertens down the left. Once again, the Belgian cuts inside and looks to find this top corner, but his powerful effort goes narrowly over the crossbar.

The visitors test Reina for the first time this evening as Bertolacci drills in a low effort from long range, but it lacks the power to seriously trouble the keeper, who easily claims.

GOAL! Napoli 1-0 Genoa (Higuain)

The home side have finally made their dominance pay, as Higuain gets on the end of Hamsik's perfectly weighted through ball to chip over the on-rushing Perin and into the net. It was a moment of class from the Argentine striker, who has taken his tally to 13 goals in the league this season.

CHANCE! Genoa nearly conjure up an immediate response, as they win a free kick on the left hand touchline which is whipped into the middle by Matuzalem and headed just over the bar by Antonelli.

OFF THE LINE! The visitors come even closer to grabbing an eqauliser as Konate is played through on goal and slides an effort past Reina, but his shot is cleared off the line by Fernandez.

CHANCE! Having nearly drawn level, Genoa almost find themselves two-goals down, as the hosts break quickly and find Higuain just outside the box. The striker drills in a low strike that is beyond the reach of the keeper, but heads just wide of the far post.

It has been a thoroughly entertaining start to the match, with both teams looking to play attacking football. The pace is electric at the moment and I would expect that we will see more than the one goal this evening.

Behrami goes down in some discomfort for the home side, after being caught on the ankle by Sculli's late challenge. After a short spell he is back on his feet, and the match is resumed.

YELLOW CARD! Matuzalem picks up a deserved booking for the away side after a poor challenge on Behrami.

CHANCE! Mertens is determined to find the back of the net this evening and he lashes in a powerful effort that looks like it is heading into the top right hand corner, but swerves just wide of the post at the last second.

CHANCE! What a chance for Genoa to equalise! A brilliant team move ends with Antonelli whipping in a cross that is met by Konate at the near post, but he can only direct his header straight at Reina, who gets enough on the ball to turn it behind.

This game is still incredibly open and just moments after Napoli commit a number of players forward, Genoa break at pace, with Antonelli's eventual ball into the box being claimed by Reina.

YELLOW CARD! Sculli is the second Genoa player to be booked this evening after a foul on Behrami.

Napoli continue to look the team more likely to grab a second goal, as Mertens sees another strike from range saved by the keeper, before a cross by Callejon from the right wing almost ends up in the back of the net, before sailing wide of the far post.

YELLOW CARD! Hamsik becomes the first Napoli player of the night to pick up a booking.

We are going to have just one minute of time added on at the end of the half.

HALF TIME: Napoli 1-0 Genoa

Napoli head into half time in the lead, thanks to Higuain's strike. It was a well taken finish from the Argentine, in what has been an entertaining match in Naples.

The home side have dominated the game and saw 63% of the ball in the first half. They had seven strikes on goal compared to Genoa's four efforts, but the away side did miss two huge opportunities to level through Konate.

If Napoli hold on and win the match, then they will close the gap on second-placed Roma to four points. Their title hopes are probably all but over as they would be 13 points away from league leaders Juventus, but a place in next year's Champions League is now theirs to lose.

Rafael Benitez may consider making a few changes to his side soon after half time, as they have a Europa League match against Swansea City this Thursday. The first leg of their last-32 tie ended in a goalless draw last week, so there is still a long way for them to go to progress.

The teams are back out on the pitch and we are just moments away from the second half starting.

Napoli take the kickoff and get the match back underway.

SUBSTITUTION: Genoa have made a change at the start of the half, with Fetfatzidis coming on for Gilardino

CHANCE! Konate has had his side's best chances this evening and comes close again when he breaks forward and gets into the box, before seeing his strike blocked by Fernandez's last-ditch tackle.

Napoli have started the second half in much the same way they did the first, and they have seen plenty of the ball in their opponents' half.

YELLOW CARD! Albiol is handed a yellow card after dragging Fetfatzidis to the ground.

Matuzalem is picked out around 25 yards out from goal and fancies his chances, however his effort is poor and he fires the ball well wide of the post.

It hasn't been quite the free-flowing performance from Napoli in this second half, but they are still committing plenty of players forward to each attack as they try and find a second goal.

CHANCE! Callejon has a glimpse of goal as he latches onto a ball at the back post, but sees his strike blocked by a brilliant challenge from Antonini. That would surely have ended up in the back of the net without the defender's intervention.

SUBSTITUTION: Genoa make a change with Calaio coming on for Motta.

Mertens continues his mission to get on the scoresheet as he shrugs of a challenge and moves inside from the left, before drilling a shot just wide from the edge of the box.

CHANCE! Genoa have had plenty of opportunities to find a goal this evening, and Sculli is the next player to threaten, as he is slipped into the box by Konate, before bending an effort just wide of the post. They surely won't get too many better chances to score.

Napoli have an abundance of pace in their team and break quickly yet again with Callejon charging down the right wing. He works himself some room before playing in a low ball that is just too far ahead of Higuain for the striker to connect with.

Hamsik gives the ball away poorly in midfield to Sculli, who sees that there is plenty of space for him to move into. He charges towards the box and fires in a low drive, but it is comfortable for Reina to dive on.

YELLOW CARD! Higuain is showed a card by the referee after a late challenge on Bertolacci.

SUBSTITUTION: Insigne is on for Napoli, with Hamsik making way.

YELLOW CARD! Callejon is the next Napoli player to pick up a booking, after a deliberate handball.

SUBSTITUTION: Genoa make their final change of the evening, as Centurion comes on to replace Sculli.

SUBSTITUTION: Napoli also make a substitution, with Jorginho being replaced by Inler.

Napoli have lost their way slightly over the past few minutes, and are not posing as much of an attacking threat as they did earlier in the match. There is still a lot of space available for both teams to exploit, and Genoa will believe that there is every chance of them snatching something in the closing stages.

YELLOW CARD! Mertens is booked for the hosts after catching Centurion with an elbow as the two players challenged for the ball.

GOAL! Napoli 1-1 Genoa (Calaio)

Genoa have stunned the Stadio San Paolo! They win a free kick 25 yards out from goal that Calaio steps up to take. The man on loan from Napoli then bends a wonderful effort in off the post that leaves Reina with absolutely no chance.

SUBSTITUTION: Napoli respond to that goal by bringing on Pandev for Mertens.

Napoli are pouring forward in desperate search for an equaliser, but the visitors are holding firm and are doing everything they can to make sure they leave Naples with a point.

We are going to have three minutes of stoppage time. Is there long enough for either side to grab a winner?

FULL TIME: Napoli 1-1 Genoa

The referee blows the whistle and Napoli have been held to a draw by Genoa. They failed to create any chances in stoppage time as the visitors earned a well deserved point.

Benitez will see that as two points dropped as they failed to close the gap on Roma in the table. The draw means that Genoa stay in 11th place, but close to within three points of AC Milan and Lazio.

That's all we've got time for here. Please stay with us for all of tonight's latest results and breaking news. Until next time, goodbye!

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