Lecce are on their way to establishing themselves as an early surprise package in Serie A after recording their second win in three league matches. Nikola Krstovic is making a name for himself at the Stadio Via del Mare as Giallorossi squeezed past Salernitana 2-0 on Sunday night.
D’Aversa is doing a stellar job in Puglia after taking over the reins from Marco Baroni. Three games into the season, and Lecce have yet to lose, going toe-to-toe with the big guns months after barely securing Serie A survival after a season-long fight against the drop in 2022/23.
After a comeback 2-1 home win over Lazio, Lecce canceled out a 2-0 halftime deficit to hold Fiorentina to a 2-2 draw at Artemio Franchi last time out. Many might have thought Salernitana’s visit to Via del Mare would be the end of the line for Giallorossi.
However, Krstovic had other plans. After scoring an equalizer in Tuscany last weekend, the 23-year-old forward opened the scoring tonight, heading home a delightful cross from Valentin Gendrey in the 6th minute. Despite the Montenegrinian’s heroics in the front third, goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone was the Lecce hero this evening.
The Italian stopper pulled off a number of vital saves to deny Antonio Candreva and Jovane Cabral, keeping Lecce in the lead. After enduring the siege, D’Aversa’s men found a way to punish Salernitana for their misses. Gabriel Strefezza converted an injury-time penalty to send Paulo Sousa’s side home empty-handed.
While Lecce’s dream start continues, Salernitana will hope to post their first Serie A win of 2023/24 when they meet Torino after the international break.
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