Como beat Genoa 4-1 at Marassi to take provisional top spot in Serie A

Opening exchanges and Genoa opener

The third round of Serie A began on Friday night at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa, where Genoa faced Como. Manager Daniele De Rossi chose Milutin Osmajic to lead the attack from the first minute, while leaving forward Stephan El Shaarawy and defender Kingsley Ehizibue on the substitutes bench. Como coach Cesc Fabregas opted to keep Anastasios Douvikas in the starting lineup as the central forward. From the opening whistle, Como established extensive possession and developed sweeping passing sequences across the pitch. Como created their first clear opportunity in the seventh minute when Yan Couto forced Genoa goalkeeper Justin Bijlow into action. Attacking midfielder Nico Paz followed with a shot on goal that Bijlow managed to secure in two attempts. Genoa scored against the run of play in the 19th minute. Tommaso Baldanzi played a long pass down the left side for Lorenzo Colombo, who delivered a hard low cross to the near post. Osmajic arrived ahead of the defense to finish on his first touch past Como goalkeeper Jean Butez.

Como first-half comeback

Genoa held the lead for only six minutes as Como resumed their offensive pressure. In the 25th minute, Alex Valle drove forward on the left and cut the ball centrally to Martin Baturina, who struck a powerful diagonal shot from just inside the penalty area into the bottom corner of the net to make it 1-1. Como took the lead five minutes later in the 30th minute. Valle sent a cross from the left wing into the penalty area, where Genoa defender Leo Ostigard attempted to clear but only flicked the ball toward the far post. Winger Assane Diao met the ball on the volley and directed it across Bijlow into the net. Como extended their advantage in the 40th minute through a vertical pass from Brazilian full-back Yan Couto. Nico Paz timed his run to evade defender Johan Vasquez, collected the delivery, and converted past Bijlow in a one-on-one situation to give the visitors a 3-1 lead before halftime.

Second-half pressure and Diao brace

Genoa adopted a more attacking setup at the start of the second half to challenge Como's control, but the home side struggled to penetrate the defensive structure of the visitors. Como maintained their passing tempo and managed the game comfortably while limiting Genoa to sparse counter-attacking opportunities. In the closing stage of the match, Fabregas introduced summer signing Moise Kean to reinforce the frontline. The substitution produced Como's fourth goal in the 80th minute, recorded in some match reports at the 78th minute. Nico Paz threaded a pass through the center of the pitch into space for Kean. The forward carried the ball toward the penalty box and laid a pass across to Diao, who struck first-time across goal into the net to complete his brace and secure the 4-1 victory.

Serie A standings after matchday three opener

The 4-1 victory at Marassi moves Como to seven points from their opening three league fixtures. The result keeps Fabregas's side undefeated in Serie A and places them in provisional first place at the top of the table ahead of the remaining round three matches. For Genoa, the defeat is their third consecutive loss in three Serie A matches under De Rossi. Genoa remain without a point at the bottom of the league table in the relegation zone, having conceded four goals at home following Osmajic's early goal.