Atalanta’s grip on third place weakened slightly after being held to a 1-1 draw by a grieving Lecce side, with Mateo Retegui scoring one of two penalties awarded during the tense encounter.
The match, initially set for Friday, was delayed following the sudden death of Lecce physiotherapist Graziano Fiorita, who passed away on Thursday at just 48 years old.
In a heartfelt protest against having to play so soon after the tragedy, Lecce took to the pitch in all-white kits, adorned only with a black ribbon and the poignant message. No values, no colours.” Before kick-off, emotional scenes unfolded as players gathered around a tribute of flowers beside a ‘Graziano’ jersey.
Lecce were without the suspended Nikola Krstovic and Medon Berisha, while Gaby Jean and Filip Marchwinski were sidelined through injury.
For Atalanta, Mateo Retegui shook off a muscle issue to start, although Sead Kolasinac, Stefan Posch, Gianluca Scamacca, and Giorgio Scalvini remained unavailable.
Lecce created the first real threat after 23 minutes when Lassana Coulibaly latched onto a long ball and forced Marco Carnesecchi into a sharp save.
From the ensuing corner, Odilon Kossounou nearly scored an own goal while trying to prevent Ante Rebic from pouncing at the back post.
Moments later, Carnesecchi raced off his line to punch clear from Rebic, but the clearance fell to Jesper Karlsson, who nearly lobbed into an empty net before the goalkeeper scrambled back to intervene.
VAR was called into action when Federico Baschirotto’s header struck Isak Hien’s hand at point-blank range, resulting in a Lecce penalty.
Karlsson stepped up and coolly drilled the ball straight down the middle to give Lecce the lead.
Atalanta sought a quick response, with Wladimiro Falcone flying to tip Mario Pasalic’s shot from the edge of the box over the bar.
Retegui attempted an acrobatic volley that went just wide, and Ademola Lookman had a lucky escape when he completely missed a three-yard tap-in, only for the offside flag to spare his blushes.
Lookman looked more dangerous soon after, forcing Falcone into a smart block at the near post, but Lecce had a golden opportunity to double their advantage.
Coulibaly beat the offside trap and squared for Santiago Pierotti, who somehow fired wide from six yards.
Both Retegui and Ederson missed chances to level the score, while Juan Cuadrado’s diving header on Matteo Ruggeri’s cross lacked the power needed to trouble the Lecce goalkeeper.
Having scored one penalty already, Karlsson handed Atalanta a lifeline when he was deceived by Cuadrado’s step-overs and fouled the Colombian inside the box.
Retegui kept his nerve from the spot once again, sending the ball straight down the center to equalize.
Atalanta nearly completed the turnaround within two minutes, as Retegui’s header from a Davide Zappacosta cross rattled the far post with Falcone beaten.
Lookman tried to spark a late winner with a solo run, but was eventually smothered by a wall of Lecce defenders.
