Retegui’s Penalty Secures Atalanta a Disappointing Draw Against Lecce in Serie A

Lecce has moved two points clear of the Serie A relegation zone following a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Atalanta at the Gewiss Stadium. Nonetheless, the visitors continue their winless streak, now extending to 11 matches.

With Atalanta’s hopes of clinching the title having faded, their focus shifted solely to securing a top-four finish.

The match kicked off with a rather subdued atmosphere, as both teams struggled to create clear opportunities, effectively cancelling each other out. The first real chance didn’t arrive until the 27th minute when Lassana Coulibaly broke through towards goal, but he was thwarted by the outstretched feet of Marco Carnesecchi.

Shortly after, Isak Hien was penalised for a foul on Ante Rebic inside the box, leading to a VAR review that awarded a penalty to the survival-seeking Lecce.

Jesper Karlsson took responsibility and converted the penalty confidently, putting the visitors ahead for the first time since their 3-2 loss to AC Milan nearly two months ago.

Going behind appeared to invigorate La Dea, as they quickly began to apply pressure on the Lecce goal. Wladimiro Falcone made crucial saves, first denying Mario Pasalic and then Davide Zappacosta, helping his team maintain their lead as the first half came to a close.

Following the break, Gian Piero Gasperini brought on Juan Cuadrado to introduce much-needed speed to his side, and Atalanta looked more threatening in the early exchanges of the second half. Although the momentum shift didn’t yield an immediate goal, Atalanta’s persistence eventually paid off.

Cuadrado displayed clever footwork before being brought down in the box, allowing top scorer Mateo Retegui to dispatch the penalty coolly down the middle, granting the home side just over 20 minutes to chase a winning goal.

La Dea continued their hunt for a second goal, with Retegui, who had netted twice in the previous encounter earlier this season, coming close, but his header hit the post, denying him a 25th league goal this term.

Next up was Marten de Roon, who took a shot, but it was comfortably saved by Falcone.

Lecce opted to absorb the pressure and looked to hit on the counterattack, yet neither team succeeded in finding a winning goal, culminating in a first draw in eight encounters between the two sides.