Hamsik sends Napoli second

Marek Hamsik scored the only goal of the game as 10-man Napoli went second in Serie A on Saturday with a 1-0 victory at Genoa.

Michele Pazienza was sent off late on for the southerners who were far from their best but produced dogged rearguard resistance to sneak the victory.

They will lose second place to either Lazio or Juventus — who play each other — on Sunday but will finish the weekend third, one place higher than they started it.

Genoa got about a strangely subdued Napoli — who were missing star forward Ezequiel Lavezzi — and created the first chance of note on 20 minutes as Marco Rossi lobbed goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis but also lifted the ball over the bar.

The hosts were made to pay five minutes later as Hamsik timed his run to perfection to head in Walter Gargano’s free-kick.

Former Italy forward Luca Toni then caused panic in the Napoli defence with a deflected cross but Rossi couldn’t turn it in.

Genoa were again on top after the break and opened up Napoli with a delightful move but Omar Milanetto couldn’t beat De Sanctis.

Another flowing Genoa move gave substitute Giandomenico Mesto a chance but he blazed over.

Gergely Rudolf then crossed for Toni but from inside the six yard box he stabbed wide.

After Pazienza was dismissed for a second yellow card — even though he clearly won the ball in a challenge with Milanetto right under the referee’s nose — Mesto lifted another opportunity over the bar.

Earlier in the day, Mauricio Pinilla came off the bench to inspire Palermo to a 3-1 win over Parma to bring the Sicilians to fifth and a point off the Champions League places.

Alessandro Lucarelli gave Parma a first half lead but Pinilla equalised after the break and then teed up Fabrizio Miccoli to smash home the winner before Cristian Zaccardo’s late own goal added gloss to the result.

Palermo coach Delio Rossi said his side were still thinking about last week’s last-gasp 1-0 defeat to Napoli in the first half.

“Our heads were in Naples in the first half. That disappointed me but in the second half we played a great game and that wasn’t easy against a good Parma side whose morale was in the stars and who had deserved a second goal,” he said.

But such an outcome looked unlikely in the first half.

Parma — for whom assistant boss Massimo Mezzini was on the bench as coach Pasquale Marino was missing following the death of his mother — were ahead on seven minutes as Lucarelli headed home Sebastian Giovinco’s corner, unmarked from eight yards out with Federico Balzaretti ball-watching.

Palermo had enjoyed a lot of possession but created nothing and Rossi hauled off playmaker Javier Pastore for Pinilla at half time.

The move paid instant dividends as the Sicilians were level on 51 minutes.

Antonio Nocerino drove forward from midfield and played a one-two with Josip Ilicic, retrieving the Slovenian midfielder’s brilliant backheel before shooting on goal.

Antonio Mirante saved the shot but Nocerino prodded the follow-up to Pinilla to fire into the empty net.

Ten minutes later and the turnaround was complete as Dorin Goian launched a long ball forward which Pinilla won in the air, knocking the ball down to Miccoli to volley home.

But a minute from time Zaccardo — a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006 when playing for Palermo — headed Ilicic’s cross past his own keeper under pressure from Patjim Kasami.

In the day’s other early match Udinese also came from behind to win 2-1 at home to Fiorentina.