Serie A | Lecce 3-2 Monza: Salentini continue super start

Lecce continued their remarkable start to the season by beating troubled Monza 3-2, including a Lassana Coulibaly brace and Tiago Gabriel on a corner.

This was a pure relegation dogfight, although the Salentini had won their opener, followed by back-to-back defeats to Roma and Cagliari. Willem Geubbels, Omri Gandelman and Medon Berisha were injured. Monza picked up their first point of the season against Parma, but Jan Ziolkowski, Cyril Ngonge, Patrick Ciurria, Matteo Pessina and Idrissa Touré missed out, with new buy Exequiel Zeballos only fit for the bench, though Gustavo Varela returned.

There was a tribute before kick-off to two young women recently killed by their former partners, so teenage girls lined up with the players, with red hand marks painted on their faces, and banners from the fans.

It took just over three minutes to break the deadlock, as Ivan Ilic whipped the first corner of the game to the back post for Lassana Coulibaly’s header.

The second goal was a carbon copy, except this time the Ilic corner found the head of Tiago Gabriel in the exact same spot, with yet again very lax marking from Monza.

The visitors finally made an impact on 17 minutes with a triple opportunity, but Wladimiro Falcone parried from point-blank range on Varela and Jay Robinson, then Antonino Gallo threw himself in the path of Andrea Colpani’s follow-up.

It was only a warning, as Samuele Birindelli rolled across the face of goal from the right for Ricardo Mangas to tap in at the back stick.

However, Coulibaly hit a fresh-air shot from a promising position, then did score on the follow-up move, prodding home the Danilo Veiga cross at the near post from point-blank range.

Varela and Robinson turned inches wide of the same post and Colpani’s free kick tested Falcone in the space of a few minutes as Monza fought back.

Mangas went off with a heel injury at the break, and Youssef Maleh’s effort was deflected wide off yet another Ilic corner. Monza threw on new signing Exequiel Zeballos, who had been in talks with Napoli before leaving Boca Juniors for a different Serie A club.

Paco Esteban also received his senior debut after impressing with the Lecce youth team, but Monza made it a tense finale when Zeballos on his debut fired a free kick hard and low at the near post, surprising Falcone. Lecce complained that Cutrone had blocked off Danilo Veiga to let it through and left Falcone unsighted, but the referee and VAR waved away appeals.

Lecce 3-2 Monza

Coulibaly 4, 22 (L), Tiago Gabriel 11 (L), Mangas 20 (M), Zeballos 89 (M)

13-09-2026 14:00

MatchDay 4

Player statistic

1st half

2nd half

Lecce

Monza

Starting lineups

30 Wladimiro Falcone Goalkeeper

25 Antonino Gallo Defender

17 Danilo Veiga Defender

5 Jamil Siebert Defender

44 Tiago Gabriel Defender

20 Ivan Ilić Midfielder 67'

29 Lassana Coulibaly Midfielder

14 Youssef Maleh Midfielder 85'

Joel Monteiro Attacker 74'

11 Konan N’Dri Attacker 46'

9 Nikola Stulic Attacker 74'

20 Demba Thiam Goalkeeper

44 Andrea Carboni Defender

60 Eddy Kouadio Defender

3 Lorenzo Lucchesi Defender

7 Ricardo Mangas Defender 46'

19 Samuele Birindelli Defender

28 Andrea Colpani Midfielder 64'

14 Ebenezer Akinsanmiro Midfielder 84'

90 Michael Folorunsho Midfielder

9 Gustavo Varela Attacker 75'

46 Jay Robinson Attacker 64'

Substitutes

1 Marco Bleve Goalkeeper

Alexandru Borbei Goalkeeper

4 Kialonda Gaspar Defender

2 Ali Dembélé Defender

18 Gaby Jean Defender

8 Sadik Fofana Defender

31 Elijah Scott Defender

3 Corrie Ndaba Defender

28 Olaf Gorter Midfielder

50 Santiago Pierotti Attacker 46'

79 Oumar Ngom Midfielder 67'

22 Paco Esteban Attacker 74'

7 Amar Fatah Attacker 74'

77 Mohamed Kaba Midfielder 85'

6 Valentin Antov Defender

47 Dany Mota Attacker

21 Leonardo Colombo Midfielder

Saba Goglichidze Defender

43 Aljaz Strajnar Goalkeeper

Noel Törnqvist Goalkeeper

5 Yvan Maye Defender

8 Foe Ondoa Midfielder

24 Adam Bakoune Defender 46'

10 Patrick Cutrone Attacker 64'

Exequiel Zeballos Attacker 64'

11 Omari Forson Attacker 75'

80 Mathis Mout Attacker 84'