Genoa vs Parma Match Recap - Oct 19, 2025

Stalemate in Genoa: Ten-Man Parma Holds Off Desperate Grifone as Winless Run Drags On

GENOA — On a gray Ligurian afternoon where tension outpaced artistry, Genoa and Parma played to a goalless draw at the Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris, a result that provided little warmth for either club’s shivering ambitions but may feel even colder for a Genoa side still rooted to the foot of the Serie A table.

From the moment Abdoulaye Ndiaye saw red just before halftime, Parma were flung into survival mode, summoning a backs-to-the-wall resistance that ultimately frustrated the home side’s increasingly desperate attacks. For Genoa — winless in six league games and now with only two points to show for their early-season labors — the final whistle was met with resigned whistles from the Marassi faithful, more an exhale of exasperation than anger.

The narrative on the pitch matched the somber mood off it. Both teams entered the bout struggling for oxygen, Genoa the league’s last-place team, Parma only marginally better in sixteenth. Recent weeks have offered little in the way of relief: Genoa’s lone win came in the Coppa Italia, sandwiched between Serie A defeats to Napoli, Lazio, and Bologna, and a draw at Como. Parma, still acclimating after their return to the top flight, had managed just a single league victory all season and, like today, have leaned on defensive grit to grind out results.

That character was tested severely when Ndiaye, already walking a disciplinary tightrope, lunged late in the 42nd minute to halt a Genoa break and drew his second caution. Referee Marco Di Bello wasted no time in showing him red, shifting the game’s axis toward the home side — at least on paper.

Yet in practice, Parma’s setback galvanized their resolve. With Mateo Pellegrino’s energy up front and the industry of Adrián Bernabé in midfield, the visitors managed to weather the expected Genoese pressure. Genoa, meanwhile, were left rueing a lack of ruthlessness in the final third, a problem that has dogged them since August.

Jeff Ekhator, fresh from his goalscoring turn in Naples, found himself isolated and well-marshaled by the veteran Yordan Osorio, while Morten Frendrup — hero of the Coppa Italia win — tried in vain to inject creativity from deep midfield. The best opportunities came from set pieces and second balls: a thunderous header from Alessandro Marcandalli forced a sharp save from Chichizola just after the break, and Mikael Ellertsson’s ambitious volley skidded just wide in the 67th minute. Each near-miss further tightened the vice of frustration around Alberto Gilardino’s squad.

For Parma, the afternoon became a test of resolve. Sitting deeper with each passing minute, they rarely threatened on the counter — their best chance, a speculative drive from Bernabé, sailed harmlessly above Josep Martínez’s bar. Instead, it was organization and emergency defending that defined their half. The final twenty minutes became a procession of blocked shots, hurried clearances, and time-wasting substitutions — a familiar pattern for teams clinging to their place above the relegation line.

As stoppage time ticked away, Genoa’s supporters, long-practiced in stoicism, began to sense the inevitability. By the final whistle, boos and scattered applause highlighted the divide between hope and patience in the Grifone’s faithful.

The draw does little to change the pain in the table. Genoa remain anchored in 20th place, their two points from six matches now a grim badge of anxiety. The specter of a prolonged relegation battle looms, and Gilardino’s men look in dire need of a spark before bleakness hardens into crisis. Their inability to exploit a man advantage, particularly for nearly an entire half against a direct rival, will sting in the days ahead.

Parma, for their part, stand five points clear of their hosts in 16th, their single win and now two draws offering at least a modicum of breathing room — but nothing more. Fabio Pecchia’s team has conceded just one goal in their last two league matches, and while offense has been scarce, defensive steel remains their lifeline.

For all the history between these two clubs, today’s affair provided neither drama nor narrative redemption. Their last meeting in Serie A before this year came in 2021, when Genoa triumphed 2-1 in a relegation six-pointer; now, both are again peering over the edge, hoping for a season that offers more than stasis and survival.

Ahead for Genoa comes a daunting fixture list that includes top-half opposition, their winless league streak only intensifying the pressure. Parma, while afforded marginal comfort by today’s point and their recent resilience, know every week will demand the same dogged determination that defined their afternoon in Genoa.

As the autumn clouds gathered above the Marassi, neither side could claim much sunlight from ninety scoreless minutes. For now, survival — not spectacle — remains the story.