Two goals late in the first half were enough for Lecce U19 to earn a convincing 2-0 victory over Napoli U19 in the opening match of the 2022/23 Primavera championship.
Lecce finished level with Napoli on 40 points last season, but avoided the relegation playoff as a result of their superior goal differential. Nevertheless, the Salentini controlled this match from start to finish.
After missed opportunities from Medon Berisha and Patrick Dorgu, Lecce finally opened the scoring in the 41st minute. Berisha slipped a pass between Benedetto Barba and Daniel Hysaj on the left wing. Hysaj got a touch on the ball with his slide tackle but it wasn’t strong enough to stop Henri Salomaa from carrying into the area. Salomaa cut to his right and fired a low shot between the legs of new signing Nosa Obaretin and into the back of the goal.
Berisha doubled Lecce’s lead in the third minute of stoppage time. Right back Pol Muñoz ran straight at Alessandro Spavone before playing a perfect cross into the area from the right wing. Berisha lunged for the header from close range, leaving goalkeeper Valerio Boffelli to watch helplessly as the ball sailed into the top corner.
Meanwhile, with the departures of Coli Saco, Giuseppe D’Agostino, Antonio Vergara and Giuseppe Ambrosino, the Azzurrini really struggled to create anything in the attack. Spavone’s shot straight at Alexandru Borbei in the 14th minute was Napoli’s only shot on target all match. The Partenopei did not earn a single corner kick until the 74th minute.
Matteo Marchisano and Obaretin, who replaced Davide Costanzo, had strong performances in what was an otherwise forgettable match. Napoli return to action on August 26th to take on newly promoted Cesena.
