In a thrilling Serie A encounter on Saturday night, Lecce suffered a stunning collapse, surrendering a 2-0 advantage in stoppage time to draw 2-2 with Parma at the Stadio Via del Mare. The match was marred by controversy, with both sides reduced to 10 men in a chaotic second half.
Lecce, coming off positive results against Cagliari and Torino, took the lead through Patrick Dorgu, who capitalized on a precise through ball from Ylber Ramadani. The hosts doubled their advantage when Nikola Krstovic’s free-kick deflected off Woyo Coulibaly, wrong-footing Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki.
The game’s complexion changed dramatically when Lecce defender Frederic Guilbert received a straight red card for striking Matteo Cancellieri off the ball. Parma’s numerical advantage was short-lived, as Cancellieri himself was dismissed for a professional foul on the breaking Dorgu.
Despite being a man down, Lecce appeared to be cruising to victory until the dying moments. Parma mounted a late surge, with former Lecce player Pontus Almqvist reducing the deficit in the 90th minute. The visitors then snatched an unlikely equalizer in the final seconds when teenager Anas Haj Mohamed’s cross found Antoine Hainaut, who scored with a diving header.
The result will feel like a bitter disappointment for Lecce, who had opportunities to seal the win on the counter-attack. For Parma, the late comeback continues their trend of dramatic finishes, having recently lost leads against Napoli and Udinese.
Both teams now sit level on 4 points after four matches in what promises to be an intriguing Serie A campaign.
Goals: Dorgu 32 (L), Krstovic 59 (L), Almqvist 93 (P), Hainaut 96 (P)
Lecce (4-2-3-1): Falcone; Guilbert, Gaspar, Baschirotto, Gallo (dall’86’ Pelmard); Ramadani (dal 75′ Rafia), L.Coulibaly (dal 65′ Pierret); Morente (dal 75′ Pierotti), Rebic (dal 65′ Banda), Dorgu; Krstovic
Parma (4-2-3-1): Suzuki; Del Prato, Osorio (dal 65′ Hainaut), Balogh, W.Coulibaly; Bernabé, Sohm (dal 37′ Cancellieri); Man, Hernani (dal 67′ Haj Mohamed), Mihaila (dal 65′ Almqvist); Bonny
