Rasmus Højlund netted a dramatic late penalty as 10-man Napoli secured a 3-2 victory against Genoa in Serie A on Saturday, putting pressure on the top two teams from Milan.
Højlund was fortunate that Genoa goalkeeper Justin Bijlow could not keep his low shot out, even after getting a hand to it in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
The penalty was awarded after a VAR review determined that Maxwel Cornet—who had just come on as a substitute—had kicked Antonio Vergara’s foot after the Napoli midfielder had gone down theatrically.
Højlund’s second goal of the match brought Napoli within one point of AC Milan and six points behind Inter Milan, both of whom have a game in hand.
“We demonstrated that we are a team that never gives up, even in tough situations and facing adversity. Despite being a man down, we had the resolve to fight for the win,” said Napoli coach Antonio Conte. “I take pride in my players’ determination, and I congratulate them because the victory was well earned.”
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Napoli struggled early on, with goalkeeper Alex Meret bringing down Vitinha just moments into the match after a mishandled back pass from Alessandro Buongiorno. A VAR review confirmed the penalty, and Ruslan Malinovskyi converted the opportunity in the second minute.
Scott McTominay played a crucial role in Napoli’s response, contributing to both of their goals. Bijlow saved his first attempt in the 20th minute, but Højlund was there to slot in the rebound. McTominay then unleashed a powerful shot from around 20 meters to put Napoli ahead 2-1 just a minute later.
Unfortunately for Napoli, McTominay had to leave the match at halftime due to a muscular injury that had been bothering him since the season began. Another error from Buongiorno allowed Lorenzo Colombo to equalize for Genoa in the 57th minute.
“Scott has a gluteal issue that flares up from time to time. He wanted to continue, but I decided it was better to avoid taking risks with him as he’s a key player for us,” Conte explained regarding McTominay’s substitution.
Napoli’s troubles continued when centre-back Juan Jesus was shown a second yellow card in the 76th minute for bringing down Genoa substitute Caleb Ekuban.
Although Genoa pressed for a late winner, it was Napoli who ended up celebrating after a thrilling finish.
“The penalty wasn’t perfect. I had some luck, but the important thing is that we won,” said Højlund.