Napoli secured a 2-0 victory over Genoa at the Luigi Ferraris on Thursday evening, moving clear in the early stages of the Serie A campaign. The visitors took control after the break and finished comfortably, with K. De Bruyne and A. Vergara providing the goals. Genoa remain winless after two outings, while Napoli sit tenth with three points from two matches.
The first half offered little in the way of clear-cut opportunities, and the visitors were content to keep possession and wait for their moment. By then, the pattern was already visible — Napoli moving the ball with purpose while Genoa struggled to find rhythm. The hosts managed 46 per cent possession but created nothing of note, with zero big chances registered.
The breakthrough came in the 82nd minute when K. De Bruyne found the net, and Napoli were soon rewarded again. A. Vergara added a second goal in the 87th minute, and the result was never really in doubt after that. Matteo Politano had been booked earlier in the half, while L. Ostigard and S. Sabelli picked up yellow cards for Genoa in the closing stages.
Napoli's statistics told the story of a match they could have taken further. They registered four shots on target with 31 per cent accuracy, compared to Genoa's two on target and 18 per cent accuracy. The visitors created three big chances and recorded 10 key passes, while the hosts managed only six. Expected goals stood at 0.77 for Napoli against 0.67 for Genoa — both figures were modest, but the difference in efficiency was clear.
Substitutions came thick and fast in the final quarter, with Napoli making four changes and Genoa three. L. Ostigard, T. Baldanzi and Alisson Santos were among those brought on in the 66th minute, followed by F. Anguissa and M. Politano for Napoli in the 67th. The later changes included Hojlund, Marin, Colombo, Amorim and Vasquez, reflecting the managers' desire to freshen things up.
Genoa's run of results has been difficult, with defeats to Deportivo La-Coruña and Bournemouth among the recent setbacks. Napoli, meanwhile, bounced back from a loss to Osasuna with wins over Celta and Carrarese. This result leaves Genoa bottom of the table with zero points, while Napoli hold a narrow advantage over their rivals in mid-table.