Napoli’s grip on the Serie A summit slipped Sunday after a dramatic 2-2 home draw with Genoa, setting the stage for a nail-biting finale as Inter Milan moved within a point with two matches remaining.
The leaders, now on 78 points, saw their narrow cushion evaporate after Inter’s 2-0 win at Torino earlier in the day.
Napoli’s night went from bad to worse when midfield anchor Stanislav Lobotka limped off with an ankle injury just minutes into the match.
Romelu Lukaku opened the scoring in the 15th minute, latching onto a pinpoint cross from Scott McTominay and coolly slotting home after shaking off his marker.
Genoa came close to an equalizer on the half-hour mark when Andrea Pinamonti’s header from a free kick hit the top of the crossbar.
Genoa leveled in the 32nd minute when Honest Ahanor’s header hit the bar. Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret initially parried the rebound into the post, but the ball ricocheted off his body and into the net for an own goal.
The somber mood at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium lifted in the 64th minute when Giacomo Raspadori drilled a screamer from close range, restoring Napoli’s lead and sending the blue-and-white faithful into a frenzy.
Calm urged
However, a Johan Vasquez header six minutes from time silenced the crowd as the realization set in that the title race had been blown wide-open again.
McTominay urged fans to stay calm, reminding them that Napoli still hold a narrow lead.
“We have to stay calm. This is not the time to panic,” McTominay told DAZN. “Genoa are a strong team, they scored two good goals, and we have to look at what we did wrong there.”
Napoli will visit Parma next before finishing the season by hosting Cagliari. Inter will host Lazio before traveling to Como for their final match.
“We’ve got to keep the same attitude we’ve had so far – because this is what got us here,” Raspadori added. “So we’ll keep going with the same intensity and hard work we’ve shown every single day.”