Lecce-Empoli 1-0, Sansone scores the saving grace for the Salento team

Lecce, 13 April 2024 – Lecce's saving move than at Via del Mare Empoli beat 1-0 and moves to +6 from Frosinone currently third from last. These three very important points for the Giallorossi's championship economy were signed by the two new players Pierotti and Samson, skilled in depositing the low assist from his Argentine teammate into the net and with the goal almost empty. A winning blitz, which reached the culmination of a very balanced match and which Empoli had started by breaking the deadlock in the 5th minute with Cerri's goal, which was then annulled after a careful VAR check for a control of the ball outside the Caprile area at the beginning of the action. A blow that the Empoli team suffered, risking capitulation when Lecce, in the 19th minute, came close to taking the lead twice with Dorgu and Gendrey, stopped only by the providential interventions of Caprile. However, in the second part of the first half Empoli also re-emerged and managed to make a comeback treacherous with Cancellieri and Cerri but also with an involuntary spit from Pongracic. The pace then dropped in the second half in which Lecce tried again with the play of Baschirotto and Oudin, but had to wait for the final minutes, when Gotti's substitutions proved decisive and man of the match Sansone took over , who could have put a serious threat on the Giallorossi's permanence in Serie A with his last-gasp winning move.

Gotti and Nicola's choices

Gotti returns to the 4-2-3-1 with offensive traction: protecting the Giallorossi goal posts is Falcone as usual, shielded by a four-man line formed by the pair of central defenders Pongracic and Baschirotto and the wingers Gendrey and Gallo. In front of the defense there are instead Ramadani and Blin, with Almqvist, Oudin and Dorgu in the attacking midfield, supporting the striker who is Piccoli, chosen to replace the suspended Krstovic. Nicola responds with a 3-5-2 ready to transform in the non-possession phase into a line-up with a five-man defence: Bereszynski, Walukiewicz and Lupero are three central defenders lined up in front of goalkeeper Caprile, while Gyazi and Pezzella fluctuate between defense and midfield on the external lanes, with Zurkowski, Marin and Bastoni to guard the median. Completing the Tuscan chessboard is the attacking duo formed by Cancellieri and Cerri, who wins the run-off with Niang, chosen once again as an alternative that can be exploited during the race.

First half

The start of the match is lively and there is immediate material for the VAR: after less than 5', Caprile recovers the ball by leaving the area and launches the action which gives Empoli the lead scored by Cerri on an assist from Cancellieri , good at beating Gendrey on the left and crossing low for his teammate's winning kick. However, the joy of the goal lasts only a few minutes, because after a careful check on the monitor, Mariani decides to cancel the goal and whistle the free kick from the edge in favor of the Salento team. Empoli felt the pinch a bit and, despite trying to catch the opposing ball carriers high, he risks something too much in the 19th minute, when Caprile makes amends for the initial error by neutralizing with two excellent interventions, Gendrey's volley first and Dorgu's poisonous header on the developments of the resulting corner kick. Despite the pace of the match slowing down, the Giallorossi gradually managed to take control of the game with patient and insistent phrasing, showing up again near Caprile in the 32nd minute, with Baschirotto's long-range strike, involuntarily deflected by Walukiewicz forcing his goalkeeper into overtime again. Empoli's response was not long in coming and was signed by Cancellieri who sent the ball just over the crossbar with a beautiful overhead kick. However, the dangers are not over for Lecce, because in the 37th minute Empoli comes close to scoring again following the development of a corner, with Pongracic's involuntary outburst which forces Falcone into a providential intervention, good at being ready even on Cerri's side which turns into another opportunity; the last, important jolt which ends with Lecce in possession of the ball but also with Almqvist who ends up on the bad guys' notebook after having received a yellow card for a hard challenge on Marin which will force him to miss next week's delicate match against Sassuolo.

Second half

The second half begins with a very broken game and with an Empoli who resort to the 4-4-2 when covering to close spaces more effectively. However, the blue-and-white rearguard was a bit surprised in the 57th minute, when Baschirotto headed off the ball and warmed up Caprile's gloves again before trying again a few moments later with a slightly weak deflection of his foot in front of goal. Having sensed the looming danger, Nicola then decided to draw from the bench and throw the trio of Maleh, Niang and Cambiaghi into the fray. Gotti's response, 2' later, is the introduction of Sansone who enters the game well and in the 64th minute participates in the dangerous action created by Gallo who goes to the back on the left and passes to the center for Oudin who shoots high. As the minutes passed, however, also given the emergence of a bit of fear on the part of both teams making fatal errors, the game began to be often interrupted by Mariani's whistles again and the pace dropped further. What shuffles the cards on the table is the move pulled out of the hat by Gotti who in the 88th minute throws Venuti and Pierotti into the fray who a minute later plays the role of the absolute protagonist in the action that leads to the Giallorossi's 1-0: the Argentine striker, served by Piccoli, evades Walukiewicz's too soft marking and Sansone serves with a low dish who scores the final 1-0 with the goal unprotected.

scoreboard

Lecce (4-2-3-1): Falcon; Gendrey (from 88' Venuti), Pongracic, Baschirotto, Gallo; Ramadani, Blin; Almqvist (from 62' Sansone), Oudin (from 88 Pierotti), Dorgu (from 73' Gonzalez); Little ones. All. Gotti.

Empoli (3-5-2): Caprile; Bereszynski, Walukiewicz, Luperto; Gyasi, Zurkowski (from 60' Maleh), Marin, Bastoni (from 70' Kovalenko), Pezzella (from 84' Cacace); Cancellieri (from 60' Niang), Cerri (from 60' Cambiaghi). All. Nicola.

Scorers: Samson (89').