If there was any doubt about Napoli not being molded in Gennaro Gattuso’s spitting image, none remain after their 6-0 dismantling of Genoa at the San Paolo. Napoli ran, they ran their hearts out and showed why their top-four and Serie A title challenge should be taken seriously.
Everyone scored. Everyone played their part. Everyone kept Genoa shackled.
The red-and-blues were on a high after their 4-1 win over Crotone but were brought down to earth in an emphatic fashion. Rolando Maran must be thinking about what went wrong, and he must be scratching his head after this performance.
Napoli outmatched Genoa in all departments and grew dominant into the fixture with every passing minute. It could have been worse had the Partenopei been more efficient in front of the goal, but they will take the 6-0 home win ahead of their crunch Serie A encounter against Juventus next week.
Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne were the heroes last week as they bailed out a rustic Napoli performance. Parma were formidable for their part, but more was expected from Genoa. However, it was always going to be a challenging task given Maran’s goalkeeping woes. Second choice Federico Marchetti started between the posts with Mattia Perin out after testing positive for COVID-19.
Victor Osimhen should have opened the scoring in the sixth minute. However, his shot from inside the box went high over the bar.
The hosts did not have to wait for long as, four minutes later, Hirving Lozano was celebrating his first goal of the 2020-21 campaign. Dries Mertens was the architect of the goal, releasing the Mexican inside the area. The import from PSV drilled the ball into the bottom right corner for the opener.
Genoa attacked to restore parity, but their advances were pushed back. The Azzurri only allowed Davide Zappacosta to show his juggling skills outside the area, but when he threatened, the danger was swiftly averted.
Napoli could have added to their tally with the same duo in action again. Mertens found Lozano with a pass inside the box. The 25-year-old South American flashed the ball wide of the right post for a goal kick.
There was relentless pressure from Gattusso’s men, who did not allow Genoa’s midfield to string anything together. All the while, they created chances to go ahead. Osimhen again had an excellent opportunity to open his Serie A account, but his headed ball went above the post also.
The first half concluded with the Partenopei alert to any dangers and growing in confidence. While a similar tale was expected after the restart, not even the staunchest Napoli fans would have expected their return in the second half.
Napoli goals were coming from all angles, and Genoa were helpless to stop the onslaught. Piotr Zielinski combined with the Nigerian Prince to score the second of the night. Osimhen should be lauded for his enterprising part in the buildup, which sent Zielinski one-on-one with Marchetti.
While Marchetti was unable to stop Zielinski, he was at hand to keep Napoli at bay. Lozano again targeted the right corner, but the 27-year-old custodian made a brilliant save.
The Partenopei confidence was just building up, and the match was getting out of Genoa’s control. How the visitors withered in the second half proved that Gattuso’s pressing style has a home in his adopted surroundings.
Zielinski turned provider for the hosts’ next effort. Mertens was the beneficiary as he calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net for Napoli’s third. The Belgian would return to torment the Grifone soon after, combining again with Lozano for the Azzurri’s fourth of the night.
The duo came off soon after with Stanislav Lobotka and Matteo Politano replacing them. Their impact was swift as they were involved in Napoli’s next two goals.
Elif Elmas had gone close in the first half after coming on to replace Insigne, but his effort was wide of the target. The Macedonian did not miss out on this time. Connecting with an Elseid Hysaj pass, Elmas’ shot went into the bottom right corner again for Napoli’s fifth.
Marchetti must have been waiting for the torment to end, but there was more action to follow. However, he would be a bystander for this one, as he had been for the one before. Giovanni Di Lorenzo released Matteo Politano, and he did not disappoint. The ball crashed into the left side for Napoli’s final of the night.
The clean sheet and goals galore set up Napoli nicely for a visit by Andrea Pirlo’s Juventus. It will be an exciting battle as the two former teammates go head-to-head. The Old Lady have plenty to think about given the Partenopei’s display against Genoa. Napoli were relentless in their pressure, and the whole team hounded like Gattuso in his prime.
MATCH REPORT
September 27, 2020 – Serie A 2020-2021 Round 2
NAPOLI-GENOA 6-0
SCORERS: 10′ Lozano, 46′ Zielinski, 57′ Mertens, 65′ Lozano, 69′ Elmas, 72′ Politano
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NAPOLI (4-2-3-1): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Manolas (46′ Maksimovic), Koulibaly, Hysaj; Zielinski (73′ Ghoulam), Fabian Ruiz; Lozano (66′ Politano), Mertens (66′ Lobotka), Insigne (22′ Elmas); Osimhen (Ospina, Contini, Mario Rui, Rrahmani, Demme, Luperto, Petagna) Coach: Gattuso |
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GENOA (3-5-2): Marchetti; Goldaniga, Masiello, Biraschi; Zappacosta, Lerager (70′ Radovanovic), Badelj (64′ Behrami), Zajc (55′ Pandev), Lu.Pellegrini (55′ Ghiglione); Destro, Pjaca (70′ Melegoni) (Zima, Agostino, Zapata, Broek, Czyborra, Rovella, Males) Coach: Maran |
REFEREE: Mr. Sacchi from Macerata
NOTES: Yellow Cards: Destro (G); Extra Time: 1st Half 2′, 2nd Half 1′