Tiago Gabriel’s equalizer preserved Lecce’s hopes of survival and impacted the relegation battle, though Fiorentina maintained an eight-point buffer from the drop zone with five rounds left in Serie A.
This was a pivotal match in the fight against relegation to Serie B, with Verona and Pisa also vying for survival. Fiorentina, despite their recent Europa Conference League quarter-final exit to West Ham, fielded a near full-strength squad. Lecce, however, had been struggling, losing six of their last seven league encounters.
The home side started aggressively, with Lassana Coulibaly testing the Fiorentina defense early on. Robin Gosens was forced off with a thigh injury, making way for youth player Luis Balbo. Lecce pressed with a series of corners, and Walid Cheddira’s header was cleared off the line by Nicolò Fagioli.
Fiorentina’s first significant chance came in the 28th minute when Wladimiro Falcone made a superb save from Rolando Mandragora’s powerful shot. Moments later, Fiorentina took the lead. Mandragora played a through ball to Jack Harrison, who cut inside and curled a precise left-footed finish into the far corner from the edge of the box. This marked Harrison’s first goal for the club and ended a year-long league goal drought.
Fiorentina almost doubled their lead on a swift counter-attack, but Roberto Piccoli narrowly missed the target from close range. Both teams had further opportunities, with headers from Mandragora and Oumar Ngom proving too weak, and Lecce struggling to convert promising crosses.
After the break, Lecce continued to push for an equalizer. Coulibaly narrowly missed connecting with a pullback, and a goal-line clearance denied him again in a frantic goalmouth scramble. Ramadani fired wide, and a dipping shot from substitute Lameck Banda forced a brilliant fingertip save from David De Gea.
Lecce finally found their equalizer from the resulting corner in the 71st minute. Tiago Gabriel got in front of Cher Ndour to head home Antonino Gallo’s set-piece, ending Lecce’s three-game goalless streak.
Lecce then had a golden opportunity to take the lead when Pierotti missed the target from close range after a good pull-back from Banda. The hosts threw everything forward in the closing stages, but their persistent inability to convert chances has been a season-long issue.
Lecce 1-1 Fiorentina
Harrison 30′ (F), Tiago Gabriel 71′ (L)
20-04-2026 19:45
Player statistic
| 30′ | Jack Harrison
(Assist: Rolando Mandragora)
|
| 62′ | Santiago Pierotti |
| 71′ | Tiago Gabriel
(Assist: Antonino Gallo)
|
| 72′ | Tiago Gabriel |
| 76′ | David de Gea |
| 80′ | Marin Pongracic |
| 82′ | Jacopo Fazzini |
| 90+1′ | Manor Solomon
|
Match statistic
Starting lineups
80′
Substitutes
80′
