Napoli 6 : 1 Genoa - Six of the best for Napoli

Posted Wednesday, December 21, 2011 by PA

Napoli secured only their second win in their past eight Serie A outings courtesy of a 6-1 demolition of Genoa at Stadio San Paolo.

The two sides began the night level on 21 points in the table but there the similarities ended as the hosts raced into a three-goal lead inside 25 minutes thanks to an Edison Cavani brace and a Marek Hamsik strike.

Cristobal Jorquera pulled one back for Genoa before Goran Pandev made it 4-1 at the break while further goals by Walter Gargano and Camilo Zuniga added gloss to the scoreline in the second half.

Twelve minutes were on the clock when the deadlock was broken, Pandev's corner kick falling perfectly for Cavani to steer the ball into the net.

It was 2-0 on 17 minutes following a flowing counter-attack which was finished by Hamsik's precise left-footed effort.

On 25 minutes the lead moved out to three, Pandev again the provider with a searching long pass that was collected by Cavani and duly slotted home for his ninth league goal of the campaign.

Lucas Pratto teed up Jorquera to reduced the deficit on 28 minutes with a powerful effort from outside the area, but the final act of the opening 45 minutes fittingly went the way of the hosts as Hamsik led a counter-attack which Pandev finished off with a composed strike.

Cavani passed up a chance for his hat-trick on two occasions in the second half, spurning an opening on 47 minutes and an even better one 12 minutes later, although in between those chances Napoli made it five when Hamsik played in Gargano who finished with a long-range effort.

And the scoring was complete after 80 minutes, Zuniga scoring with another long-range effort.