Pisa & Verona relegated from Serie A as Lecce beat Tuscan side to boost own survival hopes

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/lecce/G8lYsMgU/"]Lecce[/a] came into this as the lowest scorers in Europe’s top five leagues, yet [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/banda-lameck/IoRXiRdq/"]Lameck Banda[/a] needed four minutes to terrify the home defence with a wonderful run cutting in from the left, but his shot was far too close to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/semper-adrian/hEY0fdTF/"]Adrian Semper[/a].[/p][p]Playing for their top-flight survival, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/pisa/roasMsOT/"]Pisa[/a] soon began creating chances around the quarter-hour mark, when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/aebischer-michel/MiXFJwit/"]Michel Aebischer[/a]’s free-kick forced [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/falcone-wladimiro/OCJ3DqzU/"]Wladimiro Falcone[/a] into a save, before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/angori-samuele/ANXh14xc/"]Samuele Angori[/a]’s through ball played in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/stojilkovic-filip/Ey5DEspL/"]Filip Stojilkovic[/a], who could only hit the side netting.[/p][p]Stojilkovic’s attempts to score his first [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pisacane-fabio/AweRIpPk/"]Pisa[/a] goal were then thwarted midway through the half when his strike was blocked by a diving [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/oliveira-tiago/YLr5aabU/"]Tiago Gabriel[/a].[/p][p]Then, things nearly went horribly wrong for the Nerazzurri when an overhit [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/akinsanmiro-ebenezer/GKxv62wr/"]Ebenezer Akinsanmiro[/a] backpass had to be scrambled off the line by Semper.[/p][p]The home side soon appeared to be back on top as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/moreo-stefano/zFFYexZK/"]Stefano Moreo[/a] sent a powerful header just on target, though Lecce finished the half the stronger, even if Banda and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/coulibaly-lassana/nccbKjdO/"]Lassana Coulibaly[/a] failed to create real chances, despite threatening.[/p][p][b]Those threats paid dividends seven minutes into the second half for Eusebio Di Francesco’s side, when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cheddira-walid/hYxF0Ust/"]Walid Cheddira[/a] chased a ball forward, used his strength, and played it across to Banda, whose powerful shot beat Semper and found the net. [/b][/p][embed guid="876724e5-6924-40c0-8452-77f429eaf822" url="https://x.com/SerieA_EN/status/2050304012495241574" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]However, the Tuscan side levelled just four minutes later when Lecce failed to clear a long throw, allowing [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/leris-mehdi/6uk6H0Ai/"]Mehdi Leris[/a] to volley the ball home from a tight angle. [/b][/p][p][b]But with a little over a quarter of the match to play, a mazy run from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pierotti-santiago/APPhFofM/"]Santiago Pierotti[/a] ended with him slotting the ball through to Cheddira, whose firm strike flew past Semper, and the visitors were back in front.[/b][/p][p]The Lecce lead again looked to be short-lived, but somehow neither [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/toure-idrissa/hYIzCDnT/"]Idrissa Toure[/a] nor [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/piccinini-gabriele/S4Gdo5p3/"]Gabriele Piccinini[/a] inside the six-yard box could turn in Leris’ teasing cross.[/p][p]Just when it wasn’t looking to be the home side’s night, they had a reprieve when a Lecce third was ruled out, as Santiago Pierotti’s shot was deflected in by an offside [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/camarda-francesco/zBvPWEVC/"]Francesco Camarda[/a].[/p][p]However, there would be no more good fortune in the last 10 minutes for Pisa, as Falcone’s save from Aebischer in added time confirmed a sixth loss in a row, which relegates both themselves and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/verona/rJVAIaHo/"]Verona[/a], 13 points shy of Lecce.[/p][p]At this crucial stage in the season, Lecce have now gone three matches unbeaten.[/p][p][b]Flashscore Man of the Match: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cheddira-walid/hYxF0Ust/"]Walid Cheddira[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/lecce/G8lYsMgU/"]Lecce[/a])[/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/lecce-G8lYsMgU/pisa-roasMsOT/?mid=KGDczIfJ"]Click here for more on the match[/a][/b][/p][image alt="The bottom of Serie A" id="75682ee1-a3b6-443e-8d73-3bb2a03bf011" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="910b122c-422d-494f-9d52-e1b53863b6de" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /]