Lecce-Frosinone 2-1: Ramadani brings the Giallorossi back to success

Lecce, 16 December 2023 – After ten days Lecce finds the path to success again. On the way to the sea, in fact, the Giallorossi beat Frosinone 2-1, inflicting the Ciociari's sixth away defeat in a row and overtaking them in the rankings. The match offered spectacle and great pace from the first half. They took the lead the hosts with Piccoli who, fed by a now tarantulatied Banda, hit Turati at the near post. However, Salento's 1-0 lasted just 22', because in the 33rd minute Frosinone, after having a penalty awarded cancelled, equalized the score with a penalty this time awarded after the VAR check and scored by Kaio Jorge, with his first goal in Serie A. In the second half the match continued with intensity and good opportunities on both fronts and it was resolved in the 89th minute by Ramadani's whip, which ended up in the net also thanks to the complicity of Monterisi's deviation.  

The choices of D'Aversa and Di Francesco

Lecce are missing the suspended Gonzalez and the injured Almqvist, but also Dorgu, knocked out by a problem at the last minute. D'Aversa therefore opts for a 4-3-3: Falcone is in goal, protected by the four-man line made up of Gendrey, Baschirotto, Pongracic and Gallo. Instead, Ramadani is in charge, with Blin and Oudin completing the midfield on the midfielders. Strefezza returns to the starting lineup in attack, who together with Banda acts in support of the striker Little ones, preferred to Krstovic. Mirror deployment for Di Francesco's Frosinone. Defending the Ciociaria goal posts is Turati, who has Lirola, Okoli, Romagnoli and Oyono ahead of him despite his less than perfect physical condition. Instead he returns to occupy the lower top of the midfield, after the disqualification, barrenechea, supported by midfielders Gelli and Brescianini. Finally, the offensive trident is made up of Soulé, Kaio Jorge and Ibrahimovic.

First half

D'Aversa's choice to focus on Piccoli in attack immediately pays good dividends, because Lecce started with initiative and took the lead after just 10': Turati misses a clearance, Banda takes advantage by recovering the ball and passing it on Piccoli, who is protecting him, turns around, evading Romagnoli's marking and pierces with his left foot the opposing goalkeeper with a left foot directed at the near post. It's raining wet for Di Francesco's men who in the 14th minute are already forced to use the first substitution slot to replace Oyono - who took to the pitch, as mentioned, despite a precarious physical condition - with former matchday player Monterisi. Despite the difficulty, however, Lecce managed to react thanks above all to the plays of Ibrahimovic, protagonist of a key episode in the 16th minute: the German national player fed Brescianini, who fell to the ground after a tackle in the area with Gendrey: l Referee Zufferli has no doubts and blows the penalty, but is then forced to retrace his steps and cancel the decision after checking the VAR monitor. Once the bogeyman was over, Lecce found the key to the problem, arriving first on many balls and displaying greater intensity. In the 20th minute Banda comes close to doubling the lead with a right-footed shot that hits the crossbar, but everything is still stopped due to the Zambian player's offside position for the Giallorossi. Frosinone's response is contained in Soulé's left foot, wounded by Falcone's good intervention. A flash that allows them to lighten the pressure on the Ciociaria players who manage to regain their confidence and energy by pouring into the opponent's half of the field and in the 32nd minute they score an equaliser: in fact, following a tackle, Blin touches the ankle of the newly introduced Monterisi in the middle of the area. This time the on field review rewards the Ciociari and pushes Zufferli to decree the penalty: Kaio Jorge appears on the spot and with a right-footed cross he scores the 1-1 draw and scores his first goal in Serie A. The Salento team took the blow and tried to play on the counter, focusing in particular on the speed and inventions of Banda, who tried again in the 41st minute, however, kicking the ball high over the crossbar after a beautiful slalom in the opponent's area. The Giallorossi thus try to close the first half forward but it is Frosinone who have the last chance of the half with Ibrahimovic who narrowly misses the target from the edge in the 49th minute.

Second half

When play resumed, Frosinone tried to play the ball, but it was Lecce who scored the first chance of the second half with Strefezza who, from distance, warmed Turati's gloves with a shot raised over the crossbar by the Ciociari goalkeeper. Frosinone's reply was not long in coming and they in turn came close to overtaking with Kaio Jorge's header from the center who, however, in the 54th minute was unable to give the ball the right strength and angle. Seven minutes later, it was Soulé who wasted a good opportunity by kicking a free kick from Blin on the back of the right, who inadvertently served the opponent in the heart of the area. The minutes pass and the teams attack with intensity and continuous changes in front, but without great precision: from one of them, in the 71st minute, a new scoring opportunity arises for Banda who, however, as happened in the first half, hits the post with his right-footed shot. With the rhythms physiologically slowing down, D'Aversa, with a quarter of an hour to go, tries to shuffle the cards on the table by inserting Sansone, who positions himself wide on the right, and Kaba in place of Blin and Strefezza. Di Francesco responds with the addition of Harroi in place of Ibrahimovic. The former Bologna player immediately tries to show off, throwing Piccoli deep who in the 79th minute, face to face with Turati, fails to find the target also due to Okoli's decisive deflection. On the opposite front, it is the other newcomer Harroui who becomes dangerous with a shot that misses the target of the opponent's goal by a few centimetres. The danger involved doesn't scare D'Aversa who tries to go all out by also bringing in Krstovic to support Piccoli, who tries with a shot from distance in the 88th minute. Salento's forcing pays off a minute later, when Ramadani unleashes a whip from almost 30 meters and finds the target with Monterisi's decisive deflection which puts Turati out of action. Everything needs to be redone, therefore, for Di Francesco's Frosinone who, having their backs against the wall, also brings in Cheddira and Kvernadze but even these moves do not have the desired effects, because Zufferli's triple whistle decrees the Salento success.

The little table

Lecce (4-3-3): Falcon; Gendrey, Baschirotto, Pongracic, Gallo; Blin (from 75' Kaba), Ramadani, Oudin (from 83' Krstovic); Strefezza (from 75' Sansone), Piccoli (from 91' Rafia), Banda. All. D'Aversa. Frosinone (4-3-3): Turati; Lirola, Okoli, Romagnoli, Oyono (from 14' Monterisi); Gelli (from 91' Kvernadze), Barrenechea (from 91' Cheddira), Brescianini; Soulé, Kaio Jorge, Ibrahimovic (from 77' Harroui). All. Di Francesco. Referee: Luca Zufferli of the Udine section. Scorers: Piccoli (10'), Kaio Jorge (33' penalty), Ramadani (87'). Note - Yellow cards: Okoli, Romagnoli, Barrenechea, Ibrahimovic, Blin.