Serie A | Genoa 2-0 Monza: Defenders turn great goal scorers | OneFootball

Genoa consolidated their mid-table status with goals from defenders Koni De Winter and Johan Vasquez, despite a saved Andrea Pinamonti penalty, to leave Monza rock bottom.

Alessandro Zanoli had flu, with Mattia Bani, Honest Ahanor and Ruslan Malinovskyi injured, Milan Badelj only fit for the bench and Mario Balotelli again frozen out. Salvatore Bocchetti’s side missed Pablo Mari, Samuele Birindelli, Warren Bondo, Luca Caldirola, Matteo Pessina, Roberto Gagliardini and Alessio Cragno.

There were some doubts the game would be able to go ahead following heavy rain in the Liguria region, but the pitch held out, albeit very muddy.

See how it unfolded on the Liveblog.

Georgios Kyriakopoulos saw his angled drive deflected inches past the far post and Andrea Pinamonti’s header was palmed out from under the crossbar.

Kyriakopoulos wrestled Johan Vasquez to the ground on the resulting corner, giving Genoa a penalty. However, Pinamonti stepped up and saw his spot-kick saved by Stefano Turati at the near bottom corner.

GENOA, ITALY – JANUARY 27: Stefano Turati of Monza (right) saves on Andrea Pinamonti of Genoa’s penalty kick during the Serie A match between Genoa and Monza at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on January 27, 2025 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)

Armando Izzo’s last-ditch block deflected a Fabio Miretti counter-attack over the bar, but Monza lost Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro to injury.

Genoa almost scored within 35 seconds of the restart, as Pinamonti’s cross found Fabio Miretti for a header that thumped the crossbar.

Turati made a sensational double save on Morten Thorsby and the follow-up from substitute Maxwel Cornet, but could do nothing moments later.

Aaron Martin whipped a free kick to the back post for the completely unmarked Koni De Winter to nod in from a couple of yards.

Monza rarely looked like getting back into it and instead Genoa doubled their lead when new signing Maxwel Cornet put the cross in from the right for a Johan Vasquez header, getting there just before teammate Morten Thorsby.

Turati kept the scoreline down pushing a De Winter header over the bar from a corner.

Genoa 2-0 Monza

De Winter 61 (G), Vasquez 84 (G)

Saved penalty: Pinamonti 31 (G)