Serie A relegation duel turns on Lecce goals and late VAR chaos

Lecce moved closer to safety Saturday at 4: 40 p. m. ET in serie a after beating Cremonese 2-1 in what was framed as a relegation playoff, with late controversy over a Sanabria fall in the box and protests after the final whistle. The timing matters because Cremonese’s immediate fallout has put coach Davide Nicola under scrutiny heading into the team’s next league match.

Lecce, Pierotti and Stulic deliver 2-1 as Falcone seals it late

Lecce took the lead when an angle kick from Gallo was headed in by Pierotti, who capitalized on defensive mistakes and a misjudged intervention by Audero. Lecce then doubled the advantage after Pierotti reached the byline and crossed for Stulic, whose turn was deflected by a wide arm from Bianchetti; referee Sozza went to the monitor and awarded a penalty, which Stulic converted by sending Audero the wrong way.

Cremonese’s response arrived after halftime. Nicola changed the setup, bringing on Djuric, Zerbin and Payero and shifting the defense to a back four. The immediate benefit came when Djuric flicked a header into Bonazzoli’s path, and the forward finished to cut the deficit to 2-1 just two minutes into the second half.

Lecce still had to survive a final push. Falcone blocked a Djuric overhead attempt and later produced a decisive late save on Payero in stoppage time to deny the equalizer, a moment that drew a roar from the home crowd.

Davide Nicola faces scrutiny now after the Lecce-Cremonese finish

The pressure on Nicola intensified because Cremonese could not repair the damage from a first half described as poor despite a much stronger second half. In the immediate aftermath, Nicola’s position was described as being “under observation, ” with the next hours expected to be tense. He is expected to be granted the next match Monday at Cremonese’s Zini stadium against Fiorentina, but the situation remained volatile after the loss.

Speaking in a postgame news conference, Nicola said he agreed with sporting director Giacchetta on the late episode but did not want to shift attention only to that moment. He said he was satisfied with the performance and emphasized the attitude shown after going down 2-0, arguing that with a different setup and “garra” his team played a strong second half and “maybe deserved more. ”

Nicola also pointed to issues on set pieces, saying that conceding “4 goals close together” after not having previously done so suggested more than one cause. He said solutions were needed and that the group must improve its ability to read what is happening in matches and react at the highest level.

Serie A match swings on Sozza VAR penalty and two late area incidents

The match’s defining decisions centered on two penalty-area moments. First came the penalty awarded to Lecce after Sozza reviewed the handball on Bianchetti from Stulic’s attempt, a call that pushed Lecce into a 2-0 advantage before the break.

Late on, Cremonese thought it had pulled level when Payero found the net, but the final touch that helped the ball in was judged to have been made with an arm, wiping out the equalizer. Then, in stoppage time, there was a fall in the area by Sanabria after contact from Jean. The referee did not award a penalty, and VAR did not intervene, prompting Cremonese players to protest as the match ended.

Nicola, asked about the final episode, said he could list “torts suffered” and that some situations were evident and the referee had to intervene. Still, he returned to his central demand: he wants a Cremonese that looks like the second-half team for an entire match, “not only the second half, ” and said the staff would evaluate a potential change of system during the week.

Cremonese’s next confirmed milestone is Monday’s home match against Fiorentina, with kickoff time not provided in the available details; Nicola said the club will use the week to assess tactical options, including whether to continue with a 4-4-2 approach shown after halftime. If Cremonese carry the second-half intensity into the full 90 minutes, Nicola signaled he expects a more complete performance in their next serie a outing.