Genoa describe 'conjoined training session' rather than 10-1 friendly defeat to Bournemouth
Quick summary
Genoa suffered a humiliating 10-1 defeat to Bournemouth in a pre-season friendly, but the Italian club downplayed the result by labeling it a 'conjoined training session' rather than a competitive match.
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Attributed to original sourceGenoa and Bournemouth seem to have a very different way of describing what transpired this evening in a pre-season test.
The Grifone completed their miniature tour of the UK with a trip to Bournemouth this afternoon.
The Cherries described it as a pre-season friendly match that they won 10-1, with a hat-trick from former Roma flop Justin Kluivert, two goals each for Alex Scott and Enes Unal, plus Daniel Jebbison, David Brooks and Malcom Dacosta Gonzalez on target.
Genoa struggled in Bournemouth Mario Mitaj poses with Genoa director of football Diego Lopez (genoacfc.it) Genoa defined it as more of a “conjoined training session at the Bournemouth Performance Centre” than a genuine friendly match.
They outlined that it was four sessions of 30 minutes each, the first ending 1-0, the second 3-1, the third 3-0 and the fourth also 3-0.
The report did not even appear on the official club website, as it was not considered a genuine match.
ITALY – JANUARY 25: Ruslan Malinovskyi of Genoa (right) celebrates with his team-mate Mikael Ellertsson after scoring a goal during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and Bologna FC 1909 at Luigi Ferraris Stadium on January 25, 2026 in Italy. (Photo by Getty Images) The only goal scored by Genoa was Mikael Ellertsson, while new signing Mario Mitaj got his debut in defence and immediately gave away a penalty with a rash tackle.
Coach Daniele De Rossi fielded practically an entire team of youth players for the third and fourth sessions.
It was behind closed doors at the training camp in Bournemouth, after the Italian side had a double session the day before at St. George’s Park.
The team arrived in England on Saturday, beat Leicester City at the King Power Stadium 1-0 with Lorenzo Colombo’s goal just hours later, and will now return to Liguria.
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What happened
Genoa, newly promoted to Serie A, were beaten 10-1 by Premier League side Bournemouth in a pre-season friendly. The club moved quickly to downplay the heavy defeat, describing the fixture as a 'conjoined training session' rather than a standard match. Bournemouth used a mix of first-team and academy players during the game. The result, while not officially competitive, raises early questions about Genoa's readiness for their return to Serie A. Both clubs are in pre-season preparation ahead of their respective league campaigns.
Chance analysis
While pre-season friendlies carry limited predictive weight, a 10-1 scoreline against Premier League opposition is noteworthy, especially for a newly promoted side. Genoa's attempt to reframe the result as a 'training session' suggests concern about optics ahead of their Serie A return. Bournemouth, on the other hand, gain a confidence-boosting result with goals spread across their squad. This story has minimal impact on actual match predictions but is a talking point in Italian football media as Genoa prepare for top-flight football.
Minimal competitive impact; may slightly raise early-season concerns about Genoa's defensive depth ahead of their Serie A campaign.
Do not weight pre-season friendlies heavily; Genoa's heavy loss is largely irrelevant for Serie A predictions but signals potential early-season defensive vulnerability worth monitoring.