In the 24th round of the 2025/26 Serie A season, Napoli traveled to Genoa to face them. Despite playing with ten men, they ultimately won 3-2 in a thrilling victory, moving up to third place with 49 points after playing one more game.

Genoa got off to a dream start early on thanks to an opponent's mistake: in the 3rd minute, Alex Meret tackled Vitinha, who had broken into the penalty area, and the referee promptly awarded a penalty. Ruslan Malinovskiy then converted the penalty, giving Genoa the lead.

However, after a brief period of panic following the initial loss, Napoli gradually regained their composure and launched a counter-attack against Genoa. In the 13th minute, Aaron Martin's clearance error in the penalty area gifted the ball to Scott McTominay, whose shot went over the crossbar. In the 20th minute, Erguil Elmas delivered a precise through ball, and McTominay's follow-up shot was saved by Justin Bylo. At that moment, Rasmus Hoylen arrived and decisively tapped the rebound into the empty net to equalize.

With Hoylen opening the scoring for the home team, Napoli's morale soared. Just one minute later, McTominay dribbled past his opponent outside the penalty area and unleashed a stunning long-range strike, putting Napoli ahead. The two teams then traded baskets, with Napoli ultimately leading 2-1 at halftime.

After the break, Napoli's defense lapsed again: in the 57th minute, Alessandro Buongiorno lost possession in his own half, allowing Lorenzo Colombo to break into the box and score. Napoli launched several attacks in the 61st minute, but shots from Leonardo Spinazzola, Miguel Gutierrez, and Stanislav Lobotka failed to find the net. In the 76th minute, Juan Jesus committed a tactical foul on Caleb Ekuban while tracking back, subsequently receiving his second yellow card and being sent off.

Just when everyone thought the match would end in a draw, Napoli, playing with ten men, suddenly had a turning point: in the second minute of stoppage time in the second half, Antonio Vergara went down in the penalty area after contact with Maxwell Cornet, and after VAR intervention, a valuable penalty opportunity was awarded. Hoylen lived up to expectations and converted the penalty, helping Napoli secure a 3-2 victory in the final moments.

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