Bani ejected, Alexander Blessin is glacial

Bani ejected, Alexander Blessin is glacial

Genoa goes through Cosenza thanks to goals scored by Coda (on a penalty kick) and Strootman. For the hosts to score Butic in the second half (on a penalty kick). Of note was Bani’s expulsion for added caution, which sparked some controversy on the pitch: “Expulsion and penalty? I won’t comment,” Blessin said in the postgame.

“I am very happy with the victory and the performance of the boys,” continued the Ligurian helmsman. “I expected this kind of game with an opponent that was defensive, low and parked a coach in front of their goal. I told my players that I am proud of the second half: we were orderly and showed great maturity, we got down just enough and suffered little, conceding almost nothing.”

“It was important to find the double right away. We were good and focused in stemming Cosenza’s restarts; we struggled only in the first 20 minutes. Today was a show of strength,” Blessin concluded.