Lecce advance slowly, Helgason decisive

Lecce-Carrarese 1-0

LECCE: Falcone (27'st Fruchtl), Ndaba (38'st Addo), Gaspar, Morente (1'st N'Dri), Krstovic (37'st Esposito), Helgason (15'st Berisha), Veiga (15'st Kouassi), Coulibaly (1'st Kaba), Tiago Gabriel (42'st Perez), Pierotti (15'st Banda), Pierret (15'st Gorter). Available: Samooja, Penev, Rafia, Ramadani, Maleh, Ubani, Kovac. Coach: E. Di Francesco

CARRARESE: Bleve (38' Garofani), Imperiale, Melegoni (10' Cham), Zanon, Bozhanaj (29' Capezzi), Cicconi, Bouah, Parlanti (10' Cham), Zuelli (29' Rubino), Finotto (29' Torregrossa), Belloni (37' Scheffer). Subs: Fiorillo, Illanes, Oliana, Schiavi, Accornero, Distefano, Cham, Palermo, Liberali, Olivo. Coach: A. Calabro.

REFEREE: Zaccheria from the Legnago section.

GOALS: 35' pt Helgason.

In Caldaro, Lecce won the friendly match against Carrarese, their Serie B opponent, 1-0, turning the page on the match they played a few days ago against the United Arab Emirates national team. Especially in the first 60 minutes, the Salento team played with order, making few errors, demonstrating proper concentration, producing some good plays, and consistently dictating the pace of the match, conceding little or no damage when not in possession.

When the opposition tries to push forward, Pierotti and Morente drop back to double up in marking. If the ball is at Falcone's feet, Pierret and Helgason alternately drop back to give the goalkeeper the opportunity to alternate between passing into the middle of the pitch and long balls. Krstovic moves a lot and well, though he doesn't pose much of a threat.

Despite Gallo's injury, and given the apparent competition between Helgason and Berisha for the quality left midfielder spot, Di Francesco is fielding what appears to be the most promising lineup at the moment. Falcone is in goal, wearing the captain's armband. The back four consists, from right to left, of Veiga, Gaspar, Tiago Gabriel (recovered from the knock he suffered against the United Arab Emirates), and Ndaba (making his second start since his arrival, given Gallo's absence). Pierret is the playmaker in midfield, alongside Coulibaly and Helgason. The attacking trident consists of Pierotti on the right, Krstović in the center, and Morente on the left.

Camarda, who had scored five goals in the previous three friendlies, was suffering from a fever on the eve of the match and didn't even make the bench, just like Gallo. Salento had a shot on goal in the 15th minute, through Krstović, but it was a central, forced effort. In the 17th minute, Pierret found the Montenegrin in depth, who came in front of Bleve and lobbed the ball, but the game was called for offside. In the 19th minute, Coulibaly fired high, and in the 26th minute, Ndaba fired wide. The goal came in the 35th minute. Pierotti made a dashing run down the right flank, entered the box, and fired, but his shot was deflected by Zanon. The ball found Helgason, who scored from close range. Falcone was called into action only once, punching away a cross from the left.

The second half began similarly to the first. Then, in the 17th minute, a flurry of substitutions arrived, and Lecce lost focus. In the 18th minute, Carrarese had a golden opportunity to equalize, but Finotto, left unmarked two meters from goal, headed wide. A minute later, the Tuscans created chaos in the Salento penalty area, unable to trouble Falcone. In the 27th minute, however, the Giallorossi struck. Krstovic broke free from the edge of the box and unleashed a powerful shot that, despite being central, severely tested Bleve. In the 36th minute, Di Francesco's team created a very favorable situation. N'Dri raced down the right, entered the box, and fired. His shot was blocked, but the ball went to Berisha, whose effort was parried. Finally, Krstovic fired wide. In the 43rd minute, N'Dri found himself one-on-one with the opposing goalkeeper and found a way to hit him. In the 45th minute, Calabro's side almost made it 1-1 with a header from Torregrossa, but Fruchtl arched and palmed it out for a corner.