Lecce 0-1 Napoli: Anguissa nets winner to seal tough 3 points for visitors

Napoli moved three points clear at the Serie A (SA) summit, at least for a couple of hours, after Frank Anguissa’s second-half header earned a narrow 1-0 victory over Lecce, extending the Salentians’ dismal home record to just one league win in 15 matches (D5, L9).

Match Report

Having put the disappointment of back-to-back defeats behind them with a crucial win over Inter last time out, Napoli looked full of confidence in the early stages against Lecce. Gli Azzurri dominated possession in the opening quarter-hour, and should’ve taken the lead when Mathías Olivera directed a close-range header wastefully wide of the target.

After a cagey start, Lecce gradually grew into the contest as Medon Berisha dragged a promising opportunity wide from the edge of the box, while at the other end, Olivera saw an angled effort thwarted by Wladimiro Falcone. Both sides continued to search for a breakthrough before HT, but clear-cut openings were in short supply, with Francesco Camarda firing over on the turn for the hosts.

Determined to end a six-game winless run in H2Hs (D2, L4), the Salentians came flying out of the blocks at the start of the second period, and were given a golden opportunity to break the deadlock when Juan Jesus was harshly penalised for handball in the box. Camarda assumed the responsibility from the spot, but the 17-year-old’s penalty was superbly saved by Vanja Milinković-Savić to keep the scores level heading into the final half-hour.

Napoli made the most of that reprieve, with Antonio Conte’s men taking the lead in the 69th minute as David Neres’ inviting free-kick was glanced into the far corner by Anguissa for the Cameroonian’s fourth SA goal of the season. Lecce tried to regather themselves in pursuit of a late response, but despite plenty of possession in the final third, the visitors’ rearguard held firm under pressure, securing a sixth successive H2H away triumph.

Match Events

0' The match is about to start!

8' Match Event for Lecce vs Napoli

30' Match Event for Lecce vs Napoli

37' Match Event for Lecce vs Napoli

51' Match Event for Lecce vs Napoli

57' Penalty Missed!

69' GOAL! Lecce 0-1 Napoli (Frank Anguissa)

Line-ups

Lecce XI: Wladimiro Falcone, Ylber Ramadani, Coulibaly, Lameck Banda, Antonino Gallo, Santiago Pierotti, Danilo Veiga, Kialonda Gaspar, Medon Berisha, Francesco Camarda, Tiago Gabriel

Subs: Tete Morente, Youssef Maleh, Fruchtl, Thórir Jóhann Helgason, Álex Sala, Konan N’Dri, Corrie Ndaba, Jamil Siebert, Balthazar Pierret, Jasper Samooja, Mohamed Kaba, Nikola Stulic, Niko Kovač, Christ-Owen Kouassi

Napoli XI: Juan, Di Lorenzo, Politano, Vanja Milinković-Savić, Anguissa, M.Olivera, Elmas, Buongiorno, Lang, Lorenzo Lucca, Gilmour

Subs: Spinazzola, Rrahmani, Nikita Contini, Pasquale Mazzocchi, Neres, McTominay, Sam Beukema, Miguel Gutiérrez, Højlund, Giuseppe Ambrosino, Antonio Vergara, Luca Marianucci, Mathias Ferrante