Napoli beat Genoa 2-0 in Allegri debut as De Bruyne controversy triggers fury

Late breakthrough at Marassi

Massimiliano Allegri opened his Napoli managerial campaign with a 2-0 away victory against Genoa at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. Genoa controlled possession throughout the opening forty-five minutes under Daniele De Rossi, relying on an established starting eleven from the previous campaign. Vitinha and Morten Frendrup missed early opportunities for the hosts, while Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret stopped long-range efforts from Amorim and Vitinha. Napoli threatened primarily through wide crosses before Alisson struck the outside of the net in the 39th minute. The score remained level at the break as both defences maintained structure.

Napoli altered their tactical posture in the second half by raising their defensive line and pressing higher up the pitch. Genoa goalkeeper Justin Bijlow denied Scott McTominay in the 62nd minute before both managers turned to their benches. Allegri brought on Antonio Vergara, Kevin De Bruyne, and Noa Lang, while De Rossi introduced Junior Messias and David Meichtry. Genoa nearly broke the deadlock when Sow fired into the side netting after a counter-attack led by Messias. Napoli struck in the 82nd minute when Vergara set up De Bruyne, who pushed defender Johan Vasquez aside before scoring. Moments later, Vergara secured the win on a fast break, tapping into an empty net despite a sliding challenge from Otoa.

Genoa reaction and refereeing disputes

The opening goal ignited immediate anger from Genoa players and coaching staff, who argued that De Bruyne committed an obvious foul on Vasquez. Referee Marco Di Bello allowed the goal to stand, and the video assistant referee deemed the incident a subjective on-field decision without intervening. The episode unfolded under the observation of Daniele Orsato, the new head of the refereeing designator body CAN for Serie A and Serie B, who watched the fixture from the stands. De Rossi voiced his frustration during the match and maintained his stance during post-game press duties.

This year there is not one person in the world who thinks that was not a foul.

De Rossi stated that he limited further criticism to prevent a touchline suspension for Genoa's upcoming league fixtures against Lazio and Como.

Institutional response and past grievances

Genoa Chief of Football Diego Lopez demanded greater respect for the club, pointing to multiple contentious incidents involving Di Bello in recent seasons. Lopez recalled matches against Roma where decisions on Alessandro Florenzi and Mile Svilar were overlooked, as well as a stoppage-time penalty awarded to Napoli in the previous campaign after a Di Bello VAR intervention. On Sunday, Genoa published a statement expressing institutional dismay over the opening fixture.

What I saw and what we all saw is what happened, then interpretations exist, but there is an action where a defender gets between the ball and the opponent, and there is a push where the arm goes out.

Genoa management confirmed that they are internally evaluating potential formal steps in response to the refereeing decisions.

Allegri perspective and squad reinforcements

Allegri deflected questions about the foul with a quip regarding his vantage point from the dugout.

I was on the bench, and not even when I had ten-tenths vision at fifteen would I have seen that foul from there.

The Napoli coach praised De Bruyne's impact, noting that the Belgian midfielder had completed only fifteen days of training following his World Cup participation. Genoa shifted attention to squad adjustments with the arrival of Montenegrin forward Milutin Osmajic from Preston North End. Osmajic joined on a permanent transfer valued at 2.5 million euros plus performance add-ons, completing his medical examinations ahead of De Rossi's preparation for the trip to Rome against Lazio.