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Napoli defeat Genoa 2-0 in Serie A opener amid officiating controversy
Napoli secured a 2-0 victory against Genoa in their Serie A season opener under new manager Max Allegri. The match, held at the Luigi Ferraris stadium, remained scoreless for much of the game before late decisive actions from substitutes.
Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring in the 82nd minute following an assist from Antonio Vergara. However, the goal sparked intense controversy as Genoa players and manager Daniele De Rossi protested a perceived foul by De Bruyne on defender Johan Vasquez during the buildup. Despite protests and a VAR review, referee Marco Di Bello allowed the goal to stand.
Antonio Vergara sealed the win for Napoli in the 87th minute, also assisted by De Bruyne. Following the match, Genoa's Chief of Football Diego Lopez and De Rossi criticized the officiating, with De Rossi calling the incident ‘something ugly’ and calling for more objective regulations in football.
Entities
Alessandro Buongiorno · Antonio Vergara · Aurelio De Laurentiis · Daniele De Rossi · Genoa · Genoa CFC · Kevin De Bruyne · Massimiliano Allegri · Max Allegri · Napoli · SSC Napoli · Santiago Vergara