Lecce-Udinese 2-1
GOALS: 5′ pt Gandelman, 26′ pt Solet (Rig.), 45′ st Banda.
LECCE (4-3-3): Falcone 6; Veiga 6, Gaspar 5, Gabriel 6.5, Gallo 6; Gandelman 7.5 (47′ st Siebert sv), Ramadani 6, Coulibaly 5.5; Pierotti 5 (23′ st Banda 7), Cheddira 5.5 (32′ st Stulic 6), Sottil 5.5 (32′ st N’Dri 6). On the bench: Fruchtl, Samooja, Fofana, Ndaba, Ngom, Sala, Helgason, Marchwinski. Coach: Di Francesco 5.5.
UDINESE (3-4-2-1): Okoye 6; Bertola 5.5, Kristensen 6, Solet 6.5; Ehizibue 5.5 (41′ st Kabasele sv), Miller 6 (19′ st Zaniolo 6), Karlstrom 5 (47′ st Buksa sv), Zemura 6; Atta 6.5, Ekkelenkamp 5.5 (41′ st Zarraga sv); Bayo 5.5 (19′ st Gueye 5). On the bench: Padelli, Nunziante, Mlacic, Kamara, Arizala, Buksa. Coach: Runjaic 5.
REFEREE: Rapuano di Rimini 6.
NOTES: cloudy day, pitch in fair condition. Booked: Bertola, Banda, Gueye. Corners: 7-0. Recovery time: 2’+1, 4’+2.
A very heavy victory in terms of salvation for Lecce who beat Udinese 2-1 within friendly walls. Di Francesco’s boys won it at the last minute, thus separating third-last Fiorentina by three points. After Gandelman’s initial lead and Solet’s equalizer from a penalty, in the 90th minute Banda scored the winning goal from a free kick. Overall, not a good match, given the many technical errors. Lecce, however, was the team that believed in it the most and legitimized the victory. The 0-0 at Via del Mare lasted just five minutes. After coming close to scoring with Cheddira’s header, the Salento team took the lead, taking advantage of the joint mix-up between Solet and Karlstrom. The Friulian defender stalls too long and gets the ball blown away at the entrance to his own penalty area; after a rebound, the ball reaches Karlstrom who misses the control with the outside, opening up space for Gandelman to shoot. The Israeli thus scored the 1-0 goal. In the 15th minute Lecce also came close to doubling their lead with Sottil’s free kick, just a hair high over the crossbar. However, just when the home team seemed to be in control, in the 24th minute Gaspar entered the area late on Zemura, giving Udinese a penalty.
Solet goes from the spot, displacing Falcone and making amends for the previous mistake. The low rhythms and the many technical errors give life to a second half lacking in emotion. In the 61st minute Veiga tries from the edge, but his volley is lifted over the crossbar by Okoye. Udinese are impalpable in the offensive area and Runjaic tries to shake them up, introducing Gueye and Zaniolo. The former Roma player started the match from the bench due to a technical choice; during the week, rumors had spread regarding possible disagreements between him and Runjaic, denied by the latter in the press conference the day before. In the 77th minute the home crowd exploded with anger when Di Francesco brought on Stulic by removing Cheddira, thus giving up the two strikers and a more unscrupulous attitude. At the very least, compared to the guests, Lecce tried to do something towards the end in order to take the three points. Gandelman is the fittest man of the afternoon and in the 87th minute he hits the crossbar in front of goal. The Israeli will then win the foul which will lead to the 2-1. In the 90th minute, substitute Banda drew a perfect trajectory from a free kick with his right foot and scored the new lead which exploded Via del Mare. During the celebration, Di Francesco angrily turned towards the stands after the criticism he had received a few minutes earlier. Thanks to this victory, Lecce rises to 21 points, maintaining fourth-last place: however, Udinese falls after two successes in a row and remains at 32.