Perugia gave Genoa a fright in the Coppa Italia, but the port city side triumphed in extra-time in a seven-goal thriller.
Ivan Juric’s men had been 2-0 up, but Perugia pulled it back to take the tie to extra-time before Goran Pandev and Nikola Ninkovic put them to the sword.
Francesco Di Nolfo hit a last-minute consoltation, but Genoa go through to take on Lazio at Stadio Olimpico in the Last 16.
The home side got on the front foot right away, with Giovanni Simeone continuing his recent stellar form.
Perugia gave Genoa a fright in the Coppa Italia, but the port city side triumphed in extra-time in a seven-goal thriller.
Ivan Juric’s men had been 2-0 up, but Perugia pulled it back to take the tie to extra-time before Goran Pandev and Nikola Ninkovic put them to the sword.
Francesco Di Nolfo hit a last-minute consoltation, but Genoa go through to take on Lazio at Stadio Olimpico in the Last 16.
The home side got on the front foot right away, with Giovanni Simeone continuing his recent stellar form.
Miguel Veloso swung a ball into the box, and the young striker was on hand to head it past Entonjo Elezaj in the Perugia goal.
Simeone had a hand in the second goal too, back heeling it to Goran Pandev, who rifled it home from the edge of the box.
It appeared at that stage that the tie was over, but Rolando Bianchi put the visitors back in contention in the second half.
Things got even better for the Umbrian outfit on 63 minutes, when Jean-Armel Drolé headed Cristian Bonaiuto’s cross into the back of the Genoa net.
The tie headed to extra-time, and it looked as though Juric’s men could become the latest Serie A casualty of the round, after Palermo were eliminated by Spezia yesterday.
However, Pandev came to the rescue with his second goal of the game, the Macedonian firing just under the crossbar from inside the box.
Nikola Ninkovic put the icing on the cake with a powerful left-footed shot from a tight angle.
There was still another twist to come, however, as Di Nolfo's strike ensured a nervy final few seconds for the hosts.
Genoa 4-2 Perugia (aet)
Simeone 3 (G) Pandev 37 100 (G) Bianchi 53 (P) Drolé 63 (P) Ninkovic 116 (G) Di Nolfo 120 (P)
Genoa: Lamanna; Orban, Burdisso, Biraschi (Lazovic, 74); Edenilson, Cofie, Veloso, Laxalt; Ocampos (Ninkovic, 46), Simeone, Pandev (Ntcham, 102)
Perugia: Elezaj; Monaco, Guberti (Di Nolfo, 61), Ricci, Bianchi; Dezi (Acampora, 60), Del Prete, Alhassan; Mancini, Buonaiuto (Di Carmine, 104), Drole