Genoa rallies from behind to rout Ascoli 4-1 in Coppa Italia after dominant second half

Genoa came from behind to rout Ascoli 4-1 at Stadio Luigi Ferraris, in a Coppa Italia match that started poorly for the hosts but ended with an offensive showcase in the second half. The rossoblu side fell behind on the scoreboard before the half-hour mark, but responded with two goals late in the first half and put the game away with two more in the second half.

A rough start that Genoa managed to turn around

Ascoli, despite playing away from home, took control of possession from the opening whistle and found the reward in the 24th minute, when Andrea Silipo struck with his left foot from inside the box to make it 0-1 after an assist from Simone D'Uffizi. Genoa, who had already created several chances through Tommaso Baldanzi and Mario Mitaj, took time to find the equalizer, but got there right before the break.

In the 41st minute, Alessandro Marcandalli rose to head home a Mitaj corner delivery to make it 1-1. Three minutes later, in the 44th, Baldanzi finished with his left foot to make it 2-1 with an assist from Brooke Norton-Cuffy, and the home side went into the break ahead on the scoreboard despite having been outplayed in possession for much of the first half.

In the second half, Genoa extended the lead in the 60th minute through Lorenzo Colombo, who slotted a low shot just inside the left post off a pass from Morten Frendrup to make it 3-1. The match was sealed in the 79th minute, when Elias Havel, who had come on for Colombo, also finished low after a cross from Samuel Wiafe to make it a final 4-1.

The numbers behind the match

The stats reflect a game of contrasts: Ascoli controlled more of the ball, but Genoa was far more clinical with every chance it created in the opposing box.

Genoa fired off 24 shots to Ascoli's 9, and put 10 shots on target compared to just 2 for their opponents. That gap shows up in the xG estimated after the fact based on shot locations: 2.019 for Genoa against 0.621 for Ascoli, a figure that backs up the idea that the home side was far more efficient and dangerous in front of goal despite seeing less of the ball.

What the preview said versus what happened on the field

The projection published before kickoff had Ascoli as the favorite, with a 46% chance of winning against 23% for Genoa and 31% for a draw, with expected goals of 0.92 for the home side against 1.38 for the visitors. The way the match unfolded contradicted that forecast: although Ascoli opened the scoring and confirmed some of its offensive threat, Genoa overcame it with a clinical performance and ended up winning by a wide margin that nobody had predicted beforehand.

What the result leaves behind

Genoa put together a clear-cut win in the Coppa Italia thanks to its efficiency in front of goal, backed by strikes from Marcandalli, Baldanzi, Colombo and Havel, and a stress-free finish to the match even though Ascoli never stopped pushing for a second goal, as shown by attempts from Don Bolsius and Andrea Oliveri in the closing minutes. The rout leaves the rossoblu side with a solid offensive showing heading into the rest of the tournament, while Ascoli leaves Luigi Ferraris with the sense of having matched Genoa in possession, but without the ability to hold onto its early lead.