Napoli bow to Hojlund! Cold-blooded Dane keeps Neapolitans' Scudetto dreams alive

Napoli were dangerously close to saying "Arrivederci" ("Goodbye") to the Scudetto, all thanks to Alessandro Buongiorno ("Good day"). However, Rasmus Hojlund stepped up in crucial moments, saving them from the brink of failure in Genoa.

The defender first shocked Antonio Conte, his teammates, and all Napoli fans just 15 seconds into the game when he sent an awful back pass to the custodian Alex Meret, forcing the keeper to concede a penalty, which Ruslan Malinovskyi sent home.

Still, the Red Devils' heart in the visitors' ranks woke up and created a comeback with a two-minute blitzkrieg. Hojlund levelled in the 20th minute, and Scott McTominay put the reigning champs in front in the 22nd, getting their team back on track after the initial horror opening.

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Nevertheless, Buongiorno's terror wasn't over, as he lost the ball as a last defender in the 57th minute, allowing Lorenzo Colombo to level.

Nineteen minutes later, the other Neapolitans' centre-back Juan Jesus came into the spotlight, receiving a second yellow card. At that point, the Scudetto seemed like a futile dream to Conte's crew.

And when everyone expected the final whistle, Genoa's Maxwel Cornet recklessly tackled Antonio Vergara in the box, and Hojlund - with a pinch of luck - sent it home, bringing a vital victory to his team in the fifth minute of added time!

Now Napoli are six points behind the Serie A leaders, Inter Milan, who face Sassuolo on the road tomorrow (20.00).

SERIE A - MATCHDAY 24

Friday

Verona - Pisa 0-0

Saturday

Genoa - Napoli 2-3 (1-2)

/Malinovskyi 3 pen, Colombo 57 - Hojlund 20, 90+5 pen, McTominay 22/

22.45: (1.80) Fiorentina (3.70) Torino (5.00)

Sunday

14.30: (1.65) Bologna (4.00) Parma (5.80)

17.00: (3.05) Lecce (3.00) Udinese (2.70)

20.00: (7.25) Sassuolo (4.20) Inter (1.48)

22.45: (1.50) Juventus (4.00) Lazio (7.25)

Monday

20.30: (1.37) Atalanta (4.80) Cremonese (9.00)

22.45: (1.50) Roma (4.20) Cagliari (8.00)

***odds are subject to change***