In the next round of the championship Lecce will return to play at home and will do so against the main surprise of last season, Bologna. A team that also evokes good memories because it is associated with the 2023 salvation party, although the trend in terms of results reads differently. The two sides have faced each other 23 times in their history in Salento between Serie A, B and Coppa Italia.
The balance is balanced: 6 wins each, plus 11 draws. The one between Lecce and Bologna is a roughly young challenge, since the first ever encounter dates back only to 1982-1983, in Serie B. Before that year, the glorious Emilian club had only known the top division, which is why face-to-face matches with the Salentini were impossible, at least in the league. On the debut it was a Bolognese smile, with the guests victorious 1-3 in a salvation clash that was not enough for them to avoid the resounding fall to Serie C1. Instead, the return of the challenge two seasons later, in the historic year of Lecce’s promotion to Serie A, ended in white nets.
A draw also in the very first one at Via del Mare in Serie A: 1-1 with Pasculli’s lead and De Marchi’s mock equalizer in the recovery. In 1992/1993 Lecce’s widest home victory, a 3-0 win in B signed Rizzolo, Maini and Olive with the Salentini’s eventual promotion to A. That success kicked off an excellent positive series for the Giallorossi that lasted until November 2001, when it was decided by Cirillo’s magic.
This was followed by a Bologna win, a draw and a Lecce success, in Serie B 2006/2007. The 2-1 win with Tiribocchi’s goal, Bellucci’s equalizer and Zanchetta’s goal-victory represents the Giallorossi’s most recent home success with the Felsinei. In 2019, Mihajlovic’s lineup (starring in settling the brawl between Medel and Tachtsidis) escaped 0-3 with double Orsolini and Soriano before flag goals by Babacar and Farias. At the end of the match whistles for the Giallorossi, the first (and among the very few) of the Liverani era.
Great excitement in June 2023. The Via del Mare was the scene of a 2-3 visiting victory (stupendous goals by Banda and Oudin thwarted by Arnautovic, Zirkzee and Ferguson) that served only for almanacs. Taking center stage was Lecce’s spectacular salvation celebration, seasoned at its end by the commotion over the farewell to Salento of the great Samuel Umtiti, as well as that, known only in retrospect, of Marco Baroni. The following season was also a crackling equaliser, with Piccoli’s shout as time expired as he impaled Lykogiannis’s free kick from the eleven meters, slowing down a much-launched Bologna.
TABLE PRECEDENTS IN LECCE:
Total matches: 23
Wins Lecce: 6
Draws: 11
Bologna Wins: 6
Lecce goals: 25
Bologna Goals: 23
The article THE BACKGROUND – With Bologna balance, Baroni and Umtiti’s goodbyes and Piccoli’s scream comes from Calcio Lecce.
