Serie A, Lecce-Empoli 1-1: goals from Parisi and Strefezza

A balanced first half, another that leaves Lecce with the regret of not having found the first 3 points of the season. The match against Empoli at the Via del Mare stadium, sold-out for the second time in a row, ends 1-1. The Tuscans take the lead with Parisi, the Salento draws with Strefezza. In the second half the Azzurri suffer but resist until the triple whistle, opposing the rides of Banda and the flashes of Gonzalez, young revelations of the home team.

the formations

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Baroni immediately deployed Pongracic, central defense alongside Baschirotto. Umtiti and Pezzella start from the bench, in attack there are Strefezza, Ceesay and Banda, on their debut from 1 ‘. In Empoli there is no Luperto, formerly absent due to disqualification, and Zanetti (disqualified and replaced by his deputy Bertolini) chooses the pair De Winter-Ismajli. Forward, space for Lammers, Satriano and the 19-year-old attacking midfielder Baldanzi.

not only Umtiti

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The show begins before the kick-off: the 27 thousand fans present at the stadium, in fact, met the new acquisition Umtiti for the first time, who toured the pitch wearing his new jersey. The match-pace, on the other hand, immediately turns out to be high. Baldanzi scores after 4 ‘but the game is stopped due to an air crash between Gendrey and Henderson. Lecce counterattacks with Strefezza and Banda, always dangerous with his snatches. In the offensive phase, Baroni instructs Gonzalez to attack the goal together with Ceesay, transforming the Salento form into a 4-2-3-1-. Lammers tries 1-0, Parisi finds him on 23 ‘with a shot from the edge deflected by Baschirotto. That of the full-back is the first goal scored by Empoli in the league. The tie of the hosts, after two saves by Vicario on Strefezza, arrives at 40 ‘: Banda runs away to everyone in the left lane, enters the area and unloads in tow just for Strefezza. The Brazilian’s right-foot ends under seven, the teams return to the locker room on a score of 1-1.

the recovery

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After the break, Lecce changes a lot and manages to close Empoli in their half of the pitch. At 50 ‘Baldanzi engages Falcone, but that of the 19 year old is the last real scoring opportunity for the Tuscans. Ten minutes pass and Banda touches the 2-1 with a splendid personal action, then Ceesay shoves Vicario but the referee cancels everything for offside. Enter Bajrami, Haas, Grassi and Destro, Baroni changes 5/6 of his team from midfield up. Lecce pushes in search of the three points, but without success. In the recovery Bajrami finds perhaps the last flash of his experience in blue, with a free kick that ends just to the side. The match ends 1-1, the Giallorossi leave the field with a smile … in the middle: they have won the first point in the standings, but they could have achieved more.