Bottom-of-the-table Pisa were officially relegated from Serie A after a 2-1 loss to 17th-placed Lecce, which extended the gap between the pair to 14 points with only three matches to play, as the Giallorossi moved four points clear of the drop zone.
Lecce came into this as the lowest scorers in Europe’s top five leagues, yet Lameck Banda needed four minutes to terrify the home defence with a wonderful run cutting in from the left, but his shot was far too close to Adrian Semper.
Playing for their top-flight survival, Pisa soon began creating chances around the quarter-hour mark, when Michel Aebischer’s free-kick forced Wladimiro Falcone into a save, before Samuele Angori’s through ball played in Filip Stojilkovic, who could only hit the side netting.
Stojilkovic’s attempts to score his first Pisa goal were then thwarted midway through the half when his strike was blocked by a diving Tiago Gabriel.
Then, things nearly went horribly wrong for the Nerazzurri when an overhit Ebenezer Akinsanmiro backpass had to be scrambled off the line by Semper.
The home side soon appeared to be back on top as Stefano Moreo sent a powerful header just on target, though Lecce finished the half the stronger, even if Banda and Lassana Coulibaly failed to create real chances, despite threatening.
Those threats paid dividends seven minutes into the second half for Eusebio Di Francesco’s side, when Walid Cheddira chased a ball forward, used his strength, and played it across to Banda, whose powerful shot beat Semper and found the net.
However, the Tuscan side levelled just four minutes later when Lecce failed to clear a long throw, allowing Mehdi Leris to volley the ball home from a tight angle.
But with a little over a quarter of the match to play, a mazy run from Santiago Pierotti ended with him slotting the ball through to Cheddira, whose firm strike flew past Semper, and the visitors were back in front.
The Lecce lead again looked to be short-lived, but somehow neither Idrissa Toure nor Gabriele Piccinini inside the six-yard box could turn in Leris’ teasing cross.
Just when it wasn’t looking to be the home side’s night, they had a reprieve when a Lecce third was ruled out, as Santiago Pierotti’s shot was deflected in by an offside Francesco Camarda.
However, there would be no more good fortune in the last 10 minutes for Pisa, as Falcone’s save from Aebischer in added time confirmed a sixth loss in a row, which relegates both themselves and Verona, 13 points shy of Lecce.
At this crucial stage in the season, Lecce have now gone three matches unbeaten.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Walid Cheddira (Lecce)
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