Genoa Wastes Penalty but Salvages a Point Against Frosinone

Genoa dropped more points, but at least this time it didn't come away empty-handed. At the Luigi Ferraris, the home side drew 1-1 with Frosinone in a match that featured a missed penalty, a goal right at the start of the second half, and a red card that complicated the closing stretch. The result leaves Genoa still without a win in Serie A, while Frosinone picks up a draw that doesn't hurt its standing.

Frosinone struck first and struck fast. In the 13th minute, Giorgi Kvernadze finished with his right foot from the center of the box, after an assist from Romano Schmid, making it 0-1. The goal came during a stretch when Frosinone looked comfortable, looking for Kvernadze and Fares Ghedjemis out wide.

Genoa had its chance to level things before halftime, and in the clearest way possible: a penalty. In the 41st minute, Giorgio Cittadini handled the ball inside the box and, two minutes later, VAR confirmed the spot kick. But Lorenzo Colombo, tasked with taking it in first-half stoppage time, sent the ball just wide of the left post. The first half ended with the 0-1 scoreline intact and a lingering sense of a missed opportunity for the home side.

The response after the break and the late twist

The second half was only four minutes old when Genoa found what it couldn't get from the penalty spot. A corner taken by Djibril Sow found the head, or rather the right leg, of Johan Vasquez, who finished from the center of the box to make it 1-1 in the 49th minute. The goal lifted the spirits at the Ferraris, which needed something to cheer about.

The match stayed level on the scoreboard, though Frosinone pushed with more attacking volume, creating chances through Anthony Oyono, Giacomo Calo and Luis Hasa in the second half. Genoa, for its part, looked for a second goal through substitutions: Junior Messias and later Vitinha both had shots that forced saves from the visiting goalkeeper.

The final blow for the home side came in the 85th minute: the same Johan Vasquez, scorer of the equalizer, picked up a second yellow card for dangerous play and was sent off. Genoa had to see out the final stretch with a man down, though it managed to hold onto the draw until the final whistle despite attempts from Tomas Bobcek and Gabriele Bracaglia in stoppage time.

The numbers behind the match

The stats reflect a match in which Frosinone carried more of the weight of play, though without translating that into a clear advantage on the scoreboard.

According to our xG estimate calculated from the match's shots, Frosinone generated 2.324 expected goals against 1.915 for Genoa, a gap that backs up the visitors' edge in scoring opportunities, even though the final score ended level.

The projection we published before the match gave Genoa a 40% chance of winning, 29% for a draw, and 31% for a Frosinone win, with a combined expected goals total of 2.64. The draw, which was the least likely of the three outcomes, ended up being the final result.

What it means for the standings

In the Serie A table, Genoa remains in the relegation zone, still without a win in four matches. Frosinone, meanwhile, sits higher up, with a gap of 6 points over the home side before this match. The draw doesn't change that picture much: Genoa still needs its first win, while Frosinone can keep looking up the table.