GENOA SEEMED LIKE THE PERFECT opponent for a title contender to face this late in the season. They arrived in Naples safe from the threat of relegation, cushioned by confines of mid-table obscurity, far enough from the drop zone but also too far away from the European places to really improve on their standing. Head coach Patrick Vieira had already completed the job he was supposed to do when he relieved Alberto Gilardino in November. Genoa were in 17th place back then. They'll finish the season no lower than 13th.

Entering May, Napoli's schedule seemed easier than Inter's. Napoli didn't have any other top-10 opponents on the cards. Inter had Champions League-chasing Lazio and a suddenly vibrant Como to face.

But Genoa didn't travel to southern Italy on Sunday to sightsee. They came to play. Vieira challenged his team to try and win a big one after blowing a 1-0 lead to AC Milan last Monday, and the battle cry seemed to get a rise out of a young roster with a lot to prove to their manager. Though Genoa scored on their only two shots on target, they showed real ambition here, winning tackles, duels, and second balls while fighting for space in the penalty area.

Warnings popped up like flares in the night. Standout midfielder Stanislav Lobotka went off injured. Genoa striker Andrea Pinamonti hit the crossbar in the 30th minute. Seventeen-year-old Honest Ahanor's header bounced into the net off the leg of Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret to tie the game at 1-1.

Trailing 2-1 with just seven minutes to go, Genoa pressed forward with eight players as if their own Scudetto hopes depended on a equalizer. Center-back Johan Vasquez rose up like a certain Francesco Acerbi in the Champions League semifinal, leaping over two defenders to score the header that tied the game once more. Napoli couldn't recover. The sucker punch left them with a slender one-point lead atop the table with two games to go.

Inter watched the game on the bus ride home from Torino, where they won 2-0 hours earlier. It put immediate pressure on Napoli to respond. The schedule that had appeared to favor Napoli had actually worked against it. Before leaving, Inter coach Simone Inzaghi spoke about playing and training with serenity because "anxiety leads to nowhere."

Anxiety has perhaps passed onto the team they're chasing. Napoli's next game is against a Parma side that suddenly finds itself just four points outside of the relegation zone. That's no easier of a proposition than Inter's home match against a Lazio team that needs a win. Lazio will push and leave space for the Nerazzurri to attack on the counter, which, as we know, is what they do best. Maybe the perfect opponent does exist.