Hojlund becomes a hero, Napoli regains top spot in Serie A

Antonio Conte has prepared Napoli with a few changes to the starting line-up as well as the tactical formation for the home match against Genoa before the international break.

The Serie A champions took to the field in a 4-3-3 formation, with Kevin De Bruyne on the bench. Conte's decision caught the attention of many, as the former Man City player had previously acted inappropriately after being substituted in the loss to Milan.

Hojlund Napoli Genoa.webp — Hojlund brought Napoli back to the top of Serie A. Photo: Lega Serie A

In the first half, Napoli had a lot of trouble against a stubborn and tightly defended Genoa.

The first chance of the game came in the fifth minute when Vasquez tried his luck with a long-range shot, but it was weak and inaccurate. Neres tried to prove his starting worthiness by crossing for Politano, but the latter's shot was off target.

From then on, the game was a stalemate, the ball was stuck in the middle of the field, Napoli could not find space, while Genoa continued to press high.

After more than 30 minutes, the visitors unexpectedly opened the scoring after taking full advantage of a mistake from Olivera – who had a match to forget. Norton-Cuffy got past the Uruguayan defender and passed the ball into the middle, where Ekhator skillfully backheeled the ball past Milinkovic-Savic.

Before the break, Neres broke through on the left flank, but Hojlund could not control his favorable pass.

In the second half, trouble came to the home team when Politano suffered a muscle problem and was forced off the field. At this time, Conte brought in De Bruyne and Spinazzola, while pulling Neres to the right wing.

From then on, the game was completely different thanks to De Bruyne. In the 57th minute, Napoli equalized 1-1, when Anguissa was quicker than everyone, won the ball and finished close to the goal to equalize the score.

De Bruyne still shows his importance with fast counter-attacks, passes along the flank and the ability to create a fast rhythm for Napoli's play.

In the 72nd minute, De Bruyne assisted Hojlund to score, but the referee disallowed the goal because the Belgian midfielder was offside.

Immediately after, De Bruyne's shot hit the post. In the 75th minute, Leali blocked Anguissa's shot, but Hojlund was there to make a decisive finish to seal a 2-1 victory, reclaiming the top spot in Serie A from Milan.

Hojlund is becoming the new hero of Napoli tifosi. A few days before, the former MU player scored a double to help the Southern Italian team beat Sporting 2-1 in the Champions League.

Score:

Napoli: Anguissa 57', Hojlund 75'.

Genoa: Ekhator 34'.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/ket-qua-serie-a-napoli-vs-genoa-nguoi-hung-rasmus-hojlund-2449406.html