Lecce and Fiorentina don’t get hurt: 1-1 and standings that move
Lecce and Fiorentina do not hurt each other. In fact, the direct clash that Monday evening closes the program of the 33rd day of Serie A ends 1-1, allowing both teams on the field to take a step toward salvation. Precisely the violets rise to +8 points over the third-last, which are Cremonese and the Salentini themselves. Who, however, compared to their grigiorossi rivals, seem to have a more feasible calendar ahead of them between now and the end of the season.
Fear and stakes are therefore high at the Stadio Via del Mare, and the result shows on the field. The first real finish on goal, signed by Coulibaly, comes as the clock nears 10 minutes. A couple of laps of the clock later also comes Gosens’ forfeit due to injury, further slowing the pace. After a save by Fagioli on the goal line on Cheddira’s header, however, it was the visitors themselves who took the lead: credit to Harrison, who on 30′ received from Mandragora and came up with a left-footed chocolate from a deflected position that flew past Falcone and into the net.
Florence could even double before halftime, but Piccoli’s slide was too wide. The resumption then saw a more ardent Lecce in search of an equalizer. It was Tiago Gabriel who found it at 71′, perfect in framing into the net on a Gallo corner. The same corner was, moreover, the result of a miracle performed by De Gea on a splendid diagonal shot by Banda. There were more than twenty minutes to the final whistle but, apart from a colossal chance wasted by Pierotti, nothing more relevant happened.
The point won by Lecce interrupted a worrying negative streak: the Salentini were coming off four consecutive defeats in the league, the last of which was the heavy 2-0 loss at the Bologna field, where Freuler and Orsolini had condemned Di Francesco’s team. A dark moment that had made the atmosphere around the Apulian club even heavier, called to react precisely on an evening when the margins for error were reduced to a minimum.
On the opposite front, Fiorentina arrived at this draw after a period of good form in the league, culminating last week with the precious 1-0 win over Lazio signed by Gosens – the very man who in Monday night’s challenge had to raise the white flag due to injury in the first half. An exit from the field that did not, however, prevent the Viola from bringing home a useful result, confirming the solidity recently found by Paolo Vanoli’s group even in emergency situations.
The draw at the Via del Mare, however, also keeps alive the hopes of Cremonese, which with its 27 points remains hooked to Lecce in the relegation zone. The grigiorossi had picked up only a point against Torino on Sunday, with a goal nullified by the Var to Baschirotto infuriating the environment. And right in Cremonese’s house, the bench question is also holding the headlines: Marco Giampaolo’s position appears increasingly shaky, with the hypothesis of a return of Davide Nicola taking concrete shape in the rooms of the Lombard management.
With five days still to play, the hot zone standings thus read: Fiorentina at 36 points, Cremonese and Lecce at 28. For the Salentini, the next engagement will be away against Verona, already virtually relegated, a challenge on paper favorable to try to make the final leap in terms of salvation.
