Lecce-Roma 0-0: the Salento players try, but it ends goalless at Via del Mare

Lecce 1 April 2024 - The draw hurts less Lecce that the Roma, but between the two Giallorossi, it is the Salento team who despair at the lack of victory. At Via del Mare it ends 0-0 between the teams on the pitch, in a match where the inaccuracy of the hosts was compensated by the excellent saves of Falcone to deny victory to the Capitolines. The point allows the Lecce to remain 13th, without losing the slightest margin in the red zone. However, the race of the wolves stops, and they now fall to -5 from Bologna, -7 from Juventus third and with a two-point margin on Atalanta.

First half

A few small changes for Gotti compared to the predictions the day before: the formation is a classic 4-4-2, with Oudin on the bench and Dorgu to occupy the left out, with Angry, Ramadan e Almqvist to complete the department. Pair in attack Kristovic e Little ones, while in defense the prediction from the day before was confirmed as a whole. On the other hand, however, several changes compared to forecasts. N'Dicka wins the ballot with Huijsen, as well as Karsdorp is preferred to Steel. In midfield bove substitute Pellegrini, while the trident is composed of Baldanzi, Lukaku e Zalewski. 

The match is immediately characterized by a lot of physicality and tough all-out duels. The first ring is from Roma, with Paredes to kick a sharp corner in the sixth of the game. bove does not intervene, Gendrey touch e Falcone he is forced to intervene to save the result, punching away. The home team's reaction two minutes later was also from a corner. Pongracic takes a good shot from the cross Dorgu, but the header is central, he blocks Silker. 

As written previously, the two teams do not skimp on hard interventions and N'Dicka he is the first to pay the price, booked after a hard fight with Kristovic. A heavy yellow because he is within a booking of a booking and will miss the derby against Lazio. However, the hosts grew and began to put pressure on the boys The Rossi. At 16' it is Little ones to give shivers to the Capitoline rearguard, with a powerful left foot, deflected for a corner.

However, the team persists Gotti, also driven by a stadium, the Via del Mare, packed with spectators to support the Salento team. The center forward number 91 is very inspired, but lacks precision and his attempts are not worrying Silker. Cock instead in the 27th minute he only gave the impression of a goal. The full-back travels unstoppably along the left track and reaches the Roma penalty area, but only once in front of Silker, kicks to the outside of the net, giving the fans only the illusion of the advantage. There Roma tries to react, but the Salento players seem capable of taking on the match. Little ones it is a very difficult puzzle for the Capitoline rearguard to solve, but his plays lack precision in the final moment. Also Dorgu in the 33rd minute he receives the vertical tip of Kristovic, but at the moment of the shot he is hypnotized by Silker, who is good and careful at deflecting for corners.

After twenty minutes of real suffering, try to quit the training The Rossi. Paredes from afar tests the reflections of Falcone in the 34th minute, but it's just a spark of Roma's reaction. Little ones remains a nightmare for N'Dicka e Mancini. In fact, in the 40th minute on Kristovic's side he gave Piccoli a chance from the edge, but his attempt was neutralized in two halves by Silker. The same striker from Salento two minutes later, in the 42nd minute, slipped away from the opponent's mark at the back, only to then shoot very high from a few steps away. Also a way to make up for the yellow card received previously.

La Roma comes back to life in the very last bars of the first half. Before and Baldanzi to cross to the far post for the excellent cut by Zalewski. Falcone it doesn't come out, but the Italian-Polish born in Tivoli, with the right winger, is unable to direct the ball towards the opponent's goal. In recovery instead baschirotto he is booked for a foul Baldanzi on the edge of the penalty area. On punishment Paredes fake the shot, touching with the sole to Angelino: the Spaniard's low attempt is well aimed, but the ball chips the outside post, coming out to the right of Falcone. Thus ends a lively match with a score of 0-0, where al Lecce one of his best first halves of the season wasn't enough to break the deadlock.

Second half

In the interval The Rossi relies on Huijsen, which detects an off N'Dicka, warned and often in difficulty in the clash with Little ones. The change seems to give the Capitoline players more security when dribbling. The rhythms are lower than in the first fraction and thus the best Capitoline phrasing can emerge. Several minutes of sustained dribbling by the guests produced a great chance in the 55th minute. On the developments of the corner of Paredes, fails to conclude successfully Zalewski, then clear the area baschirotto. Four minutes later it is Baldanzi to receive the suggestion of in the area bove, but the attempt with the right, weak foot, does not find the right turn and goes wide to the left of Falcone. 

Gotti he reads the difficulties of his boys and tries to change something: they enter like this Sansne e Band, which they note Little ones e Almqvist. The former Bologna player immediately tries to make himself dangerous with a sharp dribble at the limit and a shot on goal. However, the attempt is weak and central, he blocks to the ground Silker. The reaction of The Rossi in the 64th minute he leads to the entrances of El Shaarawy e Aouar, which they replace bove e Zalewski. Thus we arrive at the 68th minute with the most important opportunity of the match for the Salento players. The home team's four-against-two restart is lethal and leads to Kristovic in the area, very good at serving in the heart of the Dorgu area, who, however, with the whole goal wide open, shoots wide, pardoning the Capitoline rearguard. 

The response of the Roma it's in the 71st minute with El Shaarawy very good with the heel to give one on one ad Aouar against Falcone. Miraculous intervention by the Salento goalkeeper, who deflected the French-Algerian's sure shot into a corner. Gotti try to add quality by inserting Oudin for Dorgu, But the Roma continues to put pressure on the Apulian rearguard. In the 77th minute in fact El Shaarawy collects the bank of Lukaku and goes in search of the low corner on the left of the opposing goalkeeper. Still careful Falcone to block the ball on the ground.

Thus we enter the last 10 minutes with the yellow card of Ramadami, which opens up to the last substitutions of the match. In the Lecce there Venuti to take the place of Cock, While the Roma sees the inputs of Steel e Dybala to replace Karsdorp e Baldanzi. However, the best opportunities are for the yellow-reds of Salento. At 85' Band he tries from the edge of the area and only the deflection of the Roma goalkeeper denies him the goal, touching for a corner. A minute later however it is Samson to devour the chance of the advantage of Lecce: the former Bologna player stops in the area with his chest, completely alone, he has time to coordinate from around 6-7 meters from the goal, but his attempt goes high over the Capitoline crossbar.

In the five minutes of injury time, only the crossbar was hit by Oudin, in an attempt from the edge of the area, but the score remains balanced. So in the 95th minute the final whistle arrives promptly Matteo Marcenaro: at Via del Mare in Lecce ends 0-0. Gotti finds the second consecutive useful result and does not lose points to its rivals in the fight for survival; The Rossi for his part he is unable to make the most of the company's misstep Juventus, Bologna is now 5 points away, while the Juventus remains 7 points away.