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Napoli, Genoa Shares Spoil At Maradona Stadium
Napoli’s troubles worsened on Saturday as they were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Genoa, dealing another blow to the struggling Serie A champions ahead of their upcoming match against Barcelona.
In the dying minutes of the game, Cyril Ngonge salvaged a point for Napoli with a late equalizer, after Morten Frendrup had given Genoa the lead with a powerful first-time strike early in the second half.
Last season, Napoli dominated the league and clinched the title.
However, they currently find themselves in ninth place, a staggering 27 points behind the current leaders, Inter Milan. This puts their chances of securing a spot in the revamped Champions League for next season in serious jeopardy, SportXparte reports.
With a six-point gap separating them from fourth-placed Atalanta, Napoli’s hopes of closing in on a Champions League qualification spot could further diminish if they fail to secure a victory against struggling Sassuolo on Saturday night.
“We play well in patches and then other times we’re incapable of capitalising on the chances we create,” said captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo in a post-match interview.
“We have these great fans backing us and it’s up to us to get them onside again.”
Ngonge’s precise finish ensured that Napoli did not suffer their ninth defeat in all competitions since Walter Mazzarri took charge in November, following the dismissal of Rudi Garcia. However, the fact that they were booed off the pitch does not bode well for their upcoming Champions League last-16 clash against Barca.
Both Napoli and Barca have had underwhelming seasons, but it is astonishing to witness how far Napoli has fallen so quickly after securing their historic third league title last season.
Fortunately, Victor Osimhen is expected to return for Wednesday’s first leg in Naples, having missed the defeat on Saturday. He will bear the responsibility of finding goals for a team that is currently struggling to score.
However, Napoli’s goal-scoring issues extend beyond Osimhen’s absence due to his participation in the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria. They created very few chances against Genoa, who currently sit in 12th place.
Prior to Ngonge’s equalizer, it was Mateo Retegui who had the best opportunities in the game. He forced Alex Meret to make excellent saves with two well-placed headers in the first half.
“I’m very satisfied with how the boys played, they gave everything and were really good,” said Genoa coach Alberto Gilardino.
“Even when we had the ball we created good situations like the one for our goal, and we looked to get that second one.”
Later on Saturday second-placed Juventus travel to Verona trying to cut the 10-point gap separating them from Inter.
