Parma 2-1 Genoa result, stats and report

Connor Maguire, SportSignals

The Result

Parma 2-1 Genoa. Write it down. Three points. And before anyone starts telling me about Genoa's possession numbers or their shot count, save it. The thing is, football rewards the team that gets the ball in the net. Parma did that twice. Genoa did it once. End of.

What Actually Happened

David Romero put Parma in front on 38 minutes, finishing from a right-foot shot with El Bilal Touré picking up the assist. Genoa came out after the break with more purpose and pulled it back through Milutin Osmajic on 70 minutes, Lorenzo Colombo providing the assist just moments after coming on as a substitute. For a spell it looked like Genoa might nick it. They did not. Pontus Almqvist, himself a second-half substitute, settled it with a left-foot finish on 80 minutes, with Nesta Elphege credited with the assist.

Three goals. Three different stories. The last one decided it. That is football.

Parma's Form Coming In

Listen, let us not pretend Parma were flying into this. Over their last five Serie A matches before today, they had won one, drawn one, and lost three. Three goals scored, six conceded. That is not the form of a confident side. They lost to Como 2-1 in their most recent outing before this. Before that, a draw with Monza and defeats against Juventus and Cagliari. This was a team badly in need of something to hold onto.

The thing is, that is exactly why results like today matter so much. You do not always get to win pretty. Sometimes you grind. Sometimes a substitute scores a late goal and you take it with both hands and you move on.

Genoa's Numbers Were Better. Genoa Still Lost.

I am going to say something that will irritate a certain type of analyst. Genoa were the better team on the day by several measurable standards. They had 58 per cent possession against Parma's 42. They had 12 total shots to Parma's five. Five shots on target to Parma's two. Twelve shots from inside the box against three. They won 59 duels to Parma's 37. They made 23 tackles to Parma's 11.

And they lost.

Why. Because their goalkeeper made zero saves. Because they had no shots on target in the first half when Romero put Parma ahead. Because when Parma's keeper was called upon, he made four saves. Because Genoa going into this match had won zero of their last five Serie A fixtures, drawn one and lost four, conceding nine goals in the process. They were beaten 4-1 by Como just weeks ago. Losing at home to Lazio and Napoli. This is a team with problems and the numbers in this match showed exactly what those problems are. Lots of possession. Very little accountability when it counts.

Genoa had five shots on target and scored one goal. Their goalkeeper made no saves and conceded two. That is not a result you can blame on bad luck. That is a result you earn through poor execution at both ends.

The Cards and the Chaos

Both sides finished with three yellow cards apiece, which tells you this was not a comfortable afternoon for anyone. Genoa's Dominik Drobnic went into the book early, on nine minutes, for a foul. Parma's Sebastian Otoa followed on 14 minutes, also for a foul, and was later substituted off at the hour mark. Parma's Alessandro Marcandalli was booked before half-time for an argument, which is exactly the kind of thing that gets under a manager's skin. You are one-nil up, minutes from the break. Keep your head. Basics.

In the closing stages, Parma's Enrico Delprato was booked for an argument on 85 minutes. Mikael Egill Ellertsson of Genoa and Parma's Mariano Troilo both picked up yellows deep into stoppage time for fouls. Six yellow cards in a match that finished 2-1. It was not a polished performance from either side. Parma simply executed when it mattered.

The Substitutes Won It

Parma's manager will be very satisfied with his substitutions. Almqvist came on at 57 minutes and scored the winner on 80. Nesta Elphege also came on at 57 minutes and got the assist for that winning goal. Two substitutes directly combining to score the decisive goal in a match your side was drawing. That is good management and good attitude from the players involved. They came on with a job to do and they did it.

Genoa brought on Stephan El Shaarawy and Lorenzo Colombo in the 60th minute. Colombo did assist Osmajic's equaliser nine minutes after coming on, which is credit where it is due. But it was not enough.

The Bet

What This Means

Parma needed this badly. Three points against a side coming into the match in poor form, and they did enough to claim them. The performance was not convincing over 90 minutes and the statistics will tell you Genoa should have done more with what they had. But desire and accountability got Parma over the line. They competed when they had to. They took their chances when they came.

Genoa, on the other hand, need a serious look at themselves. Losing your last four Serie A matches before today. Conceding nine goals in five. Having more of the ball, more shots, more dangerous attacks in this match, and still losing. That is a mentality and standards issue. It is not complicated. You have to be better when it matters.

Parma 2-1 Genoa. The basics were good enough today. End of.