Serie A: Genoa Hold Lecce to Frustrating 0-0 Draw

Lecce and Genoa played out a goalless draw, with both teams creating chances but failing to find the back of the net.

The match between Lecce and Genoa ended in a goalless draw, with both teams creating scoring opportunities but failing to find the back of the net. The two sides had chances to score, with both Lecce and Genoa rattling the frame of the goal, but ultimately, the game remained scoreless.

Going into the weekend, Lecce and Genoa were separated by just three points in the standings, with both teams having already made a coaching change this season. The hosts, Lecce, were looking to bounce back from two consecutive losses, but they were without several key players, including Andy Pelmard, Medon Berisha, Lameck Banda, and Kialonda Gaspar.

Lecce did, however, welcome back Frederic Guilbert from suspension, and new signing Jesper Karlsson was available on the bench. Meanwhile, Genoa manager Patrick Vieira was dealing with his own injury woes, as Caleb Ekuban, Junior Messias, Brooke Norton-Cuffy, Alan Matturro, Honest Ahanor, and Ruslan Malinovskyi were all unavailable for selection.

Patrick Dorgu created a scoring opportunity, forcing the goalkeeper to make a challenging save at the near post. Shortly after, Gaby Jean made a crucial intervention, intercepting the ball to prevent Morten Thorsby from tapping it in from just six yards out.

Lecce came agonizingly close to taking the lead on 22 minutes. Koni De Winter's careless giveaway allowed Nikola Krstovic to unleash a powerful shot from outside the box, which thundered against the far post. The woodwork denied Lecce the opening goal, keeping the score level.

Johan Vasquez made a vital defensive contribution, executing a perfectly timed sliding tackle to thwart Hamza Rafia's attempt to meet Lassana Coulibaly's pull-back from nine yards out. Vasquez's intervention prevented a certain goal, helping to maintain the deadlock.

Nikola Krstovic had a penalty appeal dismissed by the referee, as Mattia Bani appeared to pull out of the challenge, avoiding contact with the Lecce player. The decision allowed Genoa to breathe a sigh of relief, as they narrowly avoided conceding a spot-kick.

In a stunning turn of events, Genoa were incredibly unlucky not to take the lead on the stroke of half-time. Vitinha's low cross from the right found Morten Thorsby, who somehow managed to turn the ball onto the underside of the bar from point-blank range. The rebound fell to Andrea Pinamonti, whose volley also struck the crossbar, leaving Genoa wondering how they had not scored.

Genoa goalkeeper Nicola Leali made a spectacular one-handed save to deny Patrick Dorgu, who had been picked out by a long pass from Frederic Guilbert. Despite pushing hard for a winner, Lecce were unable to break down the Genoa defense. Guilbert came close, blasting a shot just over the bar, but ultimately, the match ended in a goalless draw.