For the 38th and final day of the championship, Lecce, after almost two years, returns to the “Diego Armando Maradona Stadium” (this has been the name since December 2020, previously “Stadio del Sole” from 1959 to 1963 and then “San Paolo Stadium” from 1963 to 2020). Napoli therefore hosts Lecce in the championship, for the 17th time. The balance sheet of the Giallorossi, in the previous ones 16 matches (12 in Serie A e 4 in B), record these data: 2 victories (a 2-4 in 1998 and a 2-3 in 2020), 5 draws (three 1-1 and two 2-2) e 9 defeats (four 1-0, one 3-0, one 3-1, one 3-2, one 4-0 and one 4-2). Lecce scored 19 goals (average of more than one goal per game) and Napoli 32 (average two goals per game).
In 12 matches in Serie A, Lecce’s balance sheet is this: 2 victories (a 2-4 and a 2-3), 3 draws (two 1-1 and one 2-2) e 7 defeats (two 1-0, one 3-0, one 3-1, one 3-2, one 4-0 and one 4-2). The goals scored by Lecce were 16 and those from Naples 27.
The two Giallorossi coaches who managed to win in Naples, both in Serie A, were Nedo Sonetti in March 1998 e Fabio Liverani in February 2020.
In the Italian Cup, in Naples, the two teams met only once. It happened September 4, 1985 in the 2nd qualifying round (it was Lecce’s first time at the “San Paolo” stadium). Mister’s Giallorossi Eugenio Fascetti, in front of 59,325 spectators (gross: 812,081,000 lire) they were defeated by coach Azzurri Ottavio Bianchi and of Maradona and the various Garellas, Raimondo Marino (after four years he will come to play for Lecce), Bagni, Pecci, Giordano, etc. For 2-0 (goals by Bruno Giordano and Salvatore Bagni). The referee was Mr Maurizio Mattei of Macerata. Referee Mattei had previously refereed the final of the Italian Semiprofessional Cup Lecce – Monza (1-0) which was played June 29, 1976 in which Lecce won its only Italian Cup. I will also referee the match Monza – Lecce (1-1) of the June 16, 1985 which marked Lecce’s first historic promotion to Serie A.
It is the second time that the two teams compete in the Campania capital in the month of May. The only precedent dates back to May 16, 1999, in Serie B, on the 34th matchday. That day, Mr. Renzo Ulivieri’s Napoli and Mr. Nedo Sonetti’s Lecce, in front of 17,541 spectators, impacted for 2-2. Napoli took the lead in the 25th minute with Mora, Lecce equalized in the 32nd minute with the Swiss David Sesa and in the 42nd minute they took the lead with Stefano Casale, but in the 60th minute the Azzurri’s final equalizer came from a penalty from Schwoch. The referee was Mr. Pierangelo Pin from Conegliano Veneto (Treviso).
In its history Lecce has played on the day May 26thoutside the home, only the following 3 matches: in 1968, in Serie C, in the derby at the home of Taranto KO 2-1, in 1996, in C1, on the field of Lodigiani (Rome) 1-1 and in 2013, in a Play Off, at the home of Virtus Entella (Chiavari) 1-1
The first challenge between the two teams in Campania dates back to 76 years ago. It was disputed November 4, 1948 (on Thursday), on the eighth day, in Serie B, on the old “Stadio della Liberazione” or “Stadio del Vomero” field (today “Arturo Collana”, but closed because it was unusable; it had been inaugurated in 1929 with the name “XXVIII October”, just like the one in Lecce). The current “Diego Armando Maradona Stadium” will be inaugurated on 6 December 1959. The president’s Lecce Vittorio Scagliarini and mister Raffaele Costantinothat day in a green shirt with yellow-red borders, played with the following formation: Eberle; Ciccone, Realini; Natale, Compiani, Gavazzi; Stabellini, Madini, Silvestri, Mosca, Celani. Mister’s Napoli Felice Placido Borel (world champion with Italy in 1934) instead sided with: Chellini; Soldani, Cappellini; Di Costanzo, Santamaria, Rosi; Krieziu, Brighenti, Suprina, Spartano, Rosignoli. The referee was Mr. Mario Cambi from Livorno. The ranking saw Napoli in third place with nine points ahead of Lecce with eight. The Azzurri prevailed however 1-0 thanks to the goal, in the 82nd minute, by left wing Rosignoli. With that victory, Napoli reached Como in second place behind leaders Vicenza with 13 points. At the end of the championship, Napoli ranked sixth with 45 points and Lecce, with 36, were third from last and were relegated for the second time, after seventeen years, to the Third Series. The Giallorossi will return to Serie B after twenty-seven years (twenty-four in Serie C and three in the Fourth Series).
After that match the two teams lost sight of each other for 38 years. They found themselves facing the February 9, 1986on the 20th matchday, in Lecce’s first championship in Serie A. That day the president’s Lecce Francesco Iurlano and mister Eugenio Fascetti was defeated by the president’s Napoli Corrado Ferlaino and the mister Ottavio Bianchi and of … Maradona for 1-0; the match-winning goal was scored in the 43rd minute by the Argentinian Daniel Ricardo Bertoni. The referee was Mr Carlo Longhi from Rome. There were no spectators in that match 63,738; it is a record for a Napoli – Lecce. For Napoli, however, that was the match with the lowest number of spectators of that season; his average spectators per game was 70,470…. one of Diego Armando Maradona’s “miracles”.
The first draw came on January 27, 1991on the 18th matchday, in Serie A. The Polish coach’s Giallorossi Zbigniew Boniek against the coach’s Azzurri Albertino Bigon (in the following summer he will be the coach of Lecce), in front of 45,377 spectators, they obtained a deserved 2-2. In the 8th minute Napoli took the lead with Incocciati, in the 34th minute Lecce equalized with Pedro Pablo Pasculli on a penalty kick, in the 70th minute the second goal of the Neapolitans with the Brazilian Careca and in the 87th minute the goal of Lecce, the definitive one 2-2, with Pietro Paolo Virdis again on a penalty kick. The referee was Mr. Maurizio Mughetti from Cesena.
We find it right and proper to remember Lecce’s first victory away to Napoli. The Lecce of the president, the lawyer, took over the “San Paolo”. Mario Moroni (patron the doctor Giovanni Semeraro) and the mister Nedo Sonetti. It happened March 22, 1998on the 26th matchday, in Serie A. The Giallorossi immediately took the lead, in the 2nd minute, with Stefano Casale from a free kick and they doubled their lead in the 28th minute with Francesco Palmieriat this point there was the predictable reaction of mister Vincenzo Montefusco’s Azzurri who closed the gap in the 34th minute with Protti on a penalty kick (foul by Francesco Bellucci on Protti himself) and equalized in the 73rd minute with Altomare, but Lecce, in great day took the lead again thanks to an own goal from the Argentine Ayala and in full injury time, in the 94th minute, he “rounded off” the result with the Ukrainian’s goal Sergiy Atelkin; it ended, therefore, 2-4. Lecce, that day, played with: Lorieri; Sakic, Cyprien, Bellucci (13′ Baronchelli), Rossini; Rossi (75′ Conticchio), Piangerelli, Giannini, Casale; Iannuzzi (57′ Atelkin), Palmieri. The match was refereed by Mr. Franco Sirotti from Forlì. At the end of the championship, Lecce ranked in penultimate place with 26 points (it was the second worst Serie A championship after that of 199394) and, for the fourth time, were relegated to Serie B. Napoli was even last with only 14 points and it too, after 33 years in Serie A, ended up among the cadets (it was its fifth relegation).
The penultimate match at the “San Paolo” in Naples dates back more than four years ago. The February 9, 2020on the 23rd matchday, the Giallorossi of mister Fabio Liverani, after twenty-two years, they conquered the Neapolitan camp for the second time. Mister’s Napoli Gennaro (called: Rino) Gattuso they played with this formation: Ospina; Di Lorenzo, Maksimovic, Koulibaly, Mario Rui; Lobotka (46′ Mertens), Demme, Zielinski; Politano (61′ Callejon), Milik, Insigne (76′ Lozano). The Giallorossi responded with: Vigorous; Rispoli, Lucioni, Rossettini, Donati; Majer (68′ Petriccione), Deiola (91′ Paz), Barak; Falco (74′ Mancosu), Saponara; Lapadula. The networks: 29′ Lapadula (L), 48′ Milik (N), 61′ Lapadula (L), 82′ Mancosu (L), 90′ Callejon (N). The referee was Mr. Antonio Giua from Olbia (Sassari). There were spectators 40,825 which brought in proceeds of €651,294.64. The away match was forbidden to Lecce fans who did not have a “fan card”. This match was there 100th by mister Fabio Liverani on the Giallorossi bench (91 in the Championship, 7 in the Italian Cup and 2 in the Serie C Super Cup). Today, the Roman technician, with 106 games, is in fourth place in the special ranking of Lecce coaches of all time together with Eugenio Fascetti. He is also the only one, in the history of Lecce, to have led the team in Serie A, B and C.
The last match was played on August 31, 2022, on the fourth day (Wednesday at 8.45 pm). Mister’s Napoli Luciano Spalletti and mister Lecce Marco Baroni they did not go beyond the draw; it ended 1-1. The goals: 27′ Elmas (N), 31′ Columbus (L). For Napoli it was the first draw of the extraordinary championship which will end it with 90 points (plus 16 on the second, Lazio; in total 28 wins, 6 draws and 4 defeats) and the conquest of its third scudetto. The Neapolitan blues played with. (4-2-3-1) Meret; Di Lorenzo, Kim, Ostigard, Olivera; Angiussa (85′ Simeone), Ndombele (46′ Lobotka); Politano (76′ Lozano), Raspadori (46′ Zielinski), Elmas (56′ Kvaratskhelia); Osimhen. The Giallorossi countered with: (4-3-3) Falcon; Gendrey, Tuia, Baschirotto, Pezzella; Helgason (46′ Gonzalez), Hjulmand; Askildsen (62′ Blin), Di Francesco (62′ Strefezza), Colombo (70′ Ceesay), Banda (75′ Listkowski). The referee was Mr. Matteo Marcenaro from Genoa who awarded a penalty to Lecce in the 25th minute and Colombo scored it, but it was made to repeat because he hadn’t blown the whistle and Meret saved it. The spectators were 37,573 of which 1,153 were from Lecce. In the 28th minute the Lecce warehouse worker Giovanni Fasano was sent off for protests. There was the debut of Giuseppe Pezzella.
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