REINFORCEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE CHANGE. The numbers seemed merciless after 16 days: Lecce second to last ahead only of Ancona and with one foot in Serie B. The sporting rebirth and the contribution ensured by the reinforcements Sicignano, Bolano, Mariniello and Franceschini revitalized a group that already showed a glimpse of the offensive explosiveness of Chevantonin his last year at Lecce before the turbulent summer that took him to Monaco after the vain courtship of Palermo and Fiorentina.
CRAZY. Returning to the tournament, the 28 points collected in the following 16 games (there will be 32 if you also count the draw in Bologna and the final victory over Reggina) gave a legendary salvation, 180 minutes from the end and not heart-pounding as successes in Lecce’s history often are.
FINAL SHOT. The extent of that salvation becomes even more legendary when you think of the final shot. Three consecutive victories against Udinese, Juventus at Delle Alpi and Inter, all three starting from an initial passive. Finally, the tenth place finish in the latest 18-team Serie A is only the latest in a series of intoxicating numbers.
THE MATCH. If you look back at the highlights, shown in the video of Lecce Calcio Storywe admire a match dominated by Lecce against an Inter team that was looking for points to achieve (they managed to do so in the end) the Champions League placing.
Lecce ahead straight away. Chevanton he hit the post from a free kick to go out, but the Uruguayan’s flick was just one of the many chances created by Delio Rossi’s band. As in fairy tales that initially seem mocking, theInter took the lead at the end of the first half: venial contact between Konan and Hadrian and transformation from the emperor’s disk.
Not even the conceded goal, however, undermined Lecce’s beliefs. After 2 minutes from the start of the restart, Tonettothe man who hadn’t scored in the longest time, he equalized the contest with a spectacular dirty touch in the fall to convert yet another Chevanton initiative into the net. Toldo could only watch.
Salvation, just a step away, pushed the eleven onto the pitch and the twenty-two thousand into the stands. In the 70th minute, after a period of tiredness, the overtaking comes. Poisonous corner, Toldo deflected onto the post and Bovo, bad sill, shot under the crossbar. The finale, with ears attached to the radios to ensure the defeat of the Modena at Chievo, it was the prelude to the triumph, we repeat it is legendary, of the salvation of Delio Rossi’s Lecce.
The scoreboard
02/05/2004, 3.00 pm – Lecce, Via del Mare stadium, 32nd day of the 2003/2004 Serie A Championship
Lecce-Inter 2-1
Lecce (4-4-2): Sicignano; Seville, Bovo, Stovini, Tonetto; Cassetti, Bolano (34’Abruzzese), Ledesma, Franceschini; Konan (89’Giacomazzi), Chevanton (86’Bojinov). Coach Delio Rossi
Inter (3-4-3): Toldo; Cordoba, Materazzi, Cannavaro F.; Zanetti J., Stankovic, Emre, Pasquale (71’Karagounis); Kily Gonzalez (82’Vieri), Adriano, Cruz (60’Martins). Coach Alberto Zaccheroni
Markers 36′ pen. Adriano (I), 47’Tonetto (L), 70’Bovo (L)
Warned Seville, Konan, Abruzzese, Ledesma (L), Pasquale, Materazzi (I).
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