Serie A | Napoli 2-2 Genoa: Double fumble blows title race wide open | OneFootball

Napoli twice fumbled a lead to draw 2-2 with Genoa after Romelu Lukaku and Giacomo Raspadori goals, so their lead at the top from Inter is sliced to just a single point.

The Partenopei felt they were on the verge of triumph, especially as they already knew Inter’s result away to Torino before taking to the field here. Alessandro Buongiorno and Juan Jesus were still out of action, with David Neres only fit for the bench, but Stanislav Lobotka grit his teeth to start despite an ankle sprain. Matias Olivera was again preferred to Rafa Marin as a makeshift central defender. Genoa lost three on the bounce, missing Ruslan Malinovskyi, Fabio Miretti, Mario Balotelli, Maxwel Cornet, Caleb Ekuban, Alan Matturro and suspended Morten Thorsby, giving Benjamin Siegrist his Serie A debut.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Matteo Politano bent a left-foot finish just wide from the edge of the area, while an acrobatic Scott McTominay bicycle-kick went over the bar.

Lobotka was the big risk and it did not pay off, because his ankle lasted only 13 minutes before hobbling off to make way for Billy Gilmour.

However, Napoli opened the scoring moments later when McTominay picked a perfectly timed and above all weighted pass for Romelu Lukaku, who shrugged off Johan Vasquez to sweep into the far bottom corner off the inside of the boot from seven yards.

epa12092547 Napoli’s forward Romelu Lukaku celebrates after scoring the goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match SSC Napoli vs CF Genoa at Diego Armando Maradona stadium in Naples, 11 May 2025. EPA-EFE/CESARE ABBATE

Siegrist pushed the Giacomo Raspadori strike over the bar from a tricky angle, while Vitinha couldn’t get on the end of the deflected Junior Messias roll across the face of goal.

Genoa very nearly equalised on the half-hour mark, as Andrea Pinamonti nodded a Vitinha free kick onto the top of the crossbar with Alex Meret well beaten.

That was only a warning, as moments later the Grifone did draw level with another Vitinha free kick not cleared properly, so Honest Ahanor’s header on a Messias cross hit the upright and ricocheted in off Meret’s body.

NAPLES, ITALY – MAY 11: Honest Ahanor of Genoa scores his side first goal during the Serie A match between Napoli and Genoa at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on May 11, 2025 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

Lukaku stung Siegrist’s gloves straight after the restart, while Raspadori pounced on a loose ball to test the goalkeeper’s legs at the near post.

Siegrist rode his luck a little when dealing with the Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa tap-in from six yards on a Giovanni Di Lorenzo pull-back, aided by Johan Vasquez’s block.

Napoli did restore their lead when McTominay threaded through down the left, as Raspadori controlled with an important right-footed first touch, then blasted in with his left foot on the second at the near post.

NAPLES, ITALY – MAY 11: Giacomo Raspadori of Napoli scores his side second goal during the Serie A match between Napoli and Genoa at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on May 11, 2025 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

McTominay’s ferocious finish was palmed round the near stick moments later, while Amir Rrahmani did just enough to stop Pinamonti tapping in the Brooke Norton-Cuffy cross.

However, it was not over, as Aaron Martin whipped in a cross from the left for the towering Johan Vasquez header to draw Genoa level.

Politano saw his left-foot scorcher palmed over the bar, but in stoppages Philip Billing nodded a David Neres cross wide of the back post from six yards.

Lukaku 15 (N), Meret og 32 (G), Raspadori 64 (N), Vasquez 84 (G)

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