Genoa 4-2 Siena: Crespo Brace Leads Grifone To Home Victory

Two goals from star striker Hernan Crespo and one from Raffaele Palladino in the first half had put Genoa in the driving seat but goals from Michele Paolucci and Massimo Maccaroni between the 80th and 82nd minute threatened to take two points away from the host. But then Sergio Floccari scored and that was enough for Genoa to pick up yet another win in Serie A.

Genoa lined up in a 4-3-3 formation with Rodrigo Palacio, Hernan Crespo and Raffaele Palladino arranged in a three-prong attack. The visitors had two men upfront, Massimo Maccarone and Abdelkader Ghezzal.

Genoa took the lead as early as the second minute of the game when Hernan Crespo sneaked in from a close range. The ball was knocked back to Giandomenico Mesto inside the Siena penalty area and the Genoa playmaker nodded it to the former Inter striker who made no mistake.

The Grifone were expected to win this game with ease and they did start to dominate possession after getting the early goal. They should have doubled their lead in the 11th minute when Mesto's measured cross from the right went straight towards Crespo but the Argentine striker could not get a touch on the ball.

Thereafter Siena started to force their opponents into their own half and created a few half chances of their own. First Maccarone tried to break away but was blocked on the edge of the Genoa penalty area. Then in the 14th minute a defensive miscommunication saw Marco Rossi backpass the ball to his custodian Alessi Scarpi, who fumbled and allowed Ghezzal to close on in him. But Scarpi eventually cleared the ball away.

The Genoese team were showing one or two signs of problems at the back but in the 17th minute they scored their second goal. It was created almost out of nothing as Palacio took a rather hopeful shot from outside the Siena penalty area. His shot was parried away by the visitors' goalkeeper Gianluca Curci but the ball fell kindly to Crespo, who was lurking inside the box and who scored with no problem.

Eight minutes later Crespo could have completed his hat-trick when he received an exquisite pass from Mesto from outside the area but the 34-year-old couldn't keep his shot on target.

Three minutes later Siena had a decent chance to pull one back when they were awarded a free-kick just outside the Genoa area but Maccarone kicked it over the bar.

Then on 31 minutes Genoa launched a counter-attack as Francesco Modesto whipped in a cross from the left that Palladino tried to turn home but Curci made a good save.

The hosts eventually got their third goal in the 35th minute. Again Genoa attacked on the break and this time Rossi measured in a calm cross from the right that Palladino coolly slotted home with no one able to challenge him.

It was 3-0 at that stage and Genoa had already bagged all three points but the Champions League hopefuls were hungry for more. They could have netted yet another goal on 38th minutes when Omar Milanetto carved in a wonderful cross but the ball was headed away before a waiting Crespo could pounce on it.

Siena, though, continued to press on and actually had the ball inside the Genoa net four minutes before half time when Simone Vergassola turned home a rebound but he was correctly flagged offside.

The first chance of the second half fell to Genoa in the 47th minute when Crespo was sent through on the left but a sliding challenge from Siena defender Aleandro Rosi averted the danger.

Ferreira Reginaldo has come on in place of Mato Jajalo at the start of the second half and the striker's presence appeared to inject some enthusiasm in the Siena attackline that had looked mostly flat in the match until then.

The second session, though, was pretty sluggish as Genoa, apparently certain of a victory, had taken their foot off the gas and it was Siena who showed signs of getting the first goal of the half.

Former Middlesbrough striker Maccarone had a good chance to pull once back for his side in the 58th minute when he took a shot towards the Genoa goal but it was not on target.

Seven minutes later Michele Fini sent in a cross but it was dummied out by second half substitute Sokratis Papastrathopoulas. Two minutes further down the line Scarpi was forced into making a brilliant save when Vergassola aimed a shot towards his goal.

In the 79th minute Rosi could have scored his side's first goal of the game when following a corner Ghezzal nodded the ball to him but the Italian defender could not keep his shot on target from a close range.

However, the visitors eventually found the net in the 80th minute when Michele Paolucci skipped past a challenge and drove home a left footed shot that went under Genoa goalkeeper Scrapi's arms into the goal.

It was 3-1 then and two minutes later it became 3-2 when Maccarone scored with a fierce left-footed volley following a corner. Siena had looked the more urgent side in the second half and with two quick goals they were back in the game.

The Robur could have restored parity in the 85th minute when Rosi found himself unmarked following a Siena free-kick but he couldn't find the target.

But in the last minute of normal time Sergio Floccari hammered the final nail in Siena's coffin when he scored from the edge of the penalty area to make it 4-2.