LECCE, Italy, September 13, 2026: Lecce appeared to have broken the match open before Monza had settled into it. Three goals inside the opening 21 minutes gave Eusebio Di Francesco’s side a commanding position at the Via del Mare, but the final hour became a very different contest.
Lassana Coulibaly scored twice, Tiago Gabriel added another from a corner, and Lecce eventually held on for a 3-2 victory after Monza responded through Ricardo Mangas and Exequiel Zeballos.
The result gave Lecce their first home win of the season and their second Serie A victory overall, but the way the match developed will matter almost as much as the three points. Lecce were ruthless when Monza were vulnerable, then increasingly fragile once Ivan Jurić’s side began controlling possession and pushing players higher.
Monza left with another defeat, yet their response after falling 3-1 behind showed why this was not a straightforward survival battle. They finished with more possession, more passes, more shots and more shots on target, but Lecce had already done enough damage before the first half reached its midpoint.
Lecce vs Monza: Match at a Glance
| Competition | Serie A 2026-27 |
|---|---|
| Matchday | 4 |
| Venue | Stadio Via del Mare, Lecce |
| Result | Lecce 3-2 Monza |
| Lecce scorers | Lassana Coulibaly 3′, 21′; Tiago Gabriel 11′ |
| Monza scorers | Ricardo Mangas 20′; Exequiel Zeballos 89′ |
| Shots | Lecce 7 – 16 Monza |
| Shots on target | Lecce 4 – 9 Monza |
| Possession | Lecce 38% – 62% Monza |
| Passes | Lecce 303 – 521 Monza |
| Pass accuracy | Lecce 77% – 86% Monza |
The fixture was part of Serie A Matchday 4 and had been framed beforehand as an early survival test, with the official Serie A preview noting that Lecce wanted to pull clear while Monza had the chance to leapfrog them with a win. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
Lecce Needed Only Three Minutes to Change the Mood
The opening goal mattered because Lecce arrived at this match needing a response.
They had lost 4-0 to Roma and then 1-0 at Cagliari, two results that had quickly erased the optimism created by their opening-weekend victory.
TSE followed both setbacks, including Roma’s four-goal demolition of Lecce and Daniel Maldini’s winner for Cagliari against Lecce.
Coulibaly changed the atmosphere almost immediately.
He struck in the third minute to put Lecce ahead, giving the home side exactly the kind of early confidence that had been absent from their previous two league outings.
Eight minutes later, Tiago Gabriel made it 2-0.
The defender attacked a corner and converted from close range, turning Monza’s difficult start into a crisis before the visitors had properly settled into their shape.
By the 11th minute, Lecce had two goals from two very different sources: midfield aggression and set-piece execution.
Mangas Gave Monza Hope, Coulibaly Took It Straight Back
Monza’s first response arrived in the 20th minute.
Ricardo Mangas scored to make it 2-1, briefly suggesting that Jurić’s team had found a way back into the match.
The hope lasted about a minute.
Coulibaly struck again in the 21st minute, completing his brace and restoring Lecce’s two-goal advantage almost immediately.
That sequence proved decisive.
Monza had done the difficult part by halving the deficit. Conceding again so quickly removed the psychological benefit of Mangas’ goal and forced the visitors back into chase mode.
For Lecce, Coulibaly’s second goal changed the nature of the afternoon. Instead of searching for control through possession, Di Francesco’s team could defend space and allow Monza to carry more of the ball.
Coulibaly Turned a Difficult Start to the Season Into His Best Afternoon
Coulibaly’s performance stood out because Lecce had needed more influence from midfield during their difficult opening month.
He had already been one of the more active Lecce players through the first weeks of the season, with Serie A data highlighting his involvement in duels and attacking transitions.
Against Monza, that energy finally produced decisive end product.
His first goal rewarded Lecce’s aggressive start. His second came at the precise moment Monza believed they had found a route back.
The brace therefore did more than double his personal tally. It protected the structure of Lecce’s entire afternoon.
The wider context was already visible in TSE’s Serie A opening-weekend analysis, where Lecce’s ability to stay competitive in a difficult league was one of the themes surrounding the lower half of the table.
Tiago Gabriel Keeps Adding Threat From Defense
Tiago Gabriel’s goal added another important dimension.
Lecce are not a team that can depend entirely on their forwards to win matches.
Set pieces, second balls and defensive players contributing goals can become decisive across a long survival campaign.
Gabriel’s 11th-minute finish showed that potential again.
He had already emerged as one of Lecce’s most prominent defensive players early in the season, and his contribution against Monza gave Di Francesco another way to hurt opponents when open-play combinations are not enough.
That variety matters because Lecce’s attacking output has fluctuated dramatically. They failed to score against Cagliari and were overwhelmed by Roma, while this match produced three goals before halftime.
Monza Controlled the Ball but Could Not Undo the Damage
The second half looked very different from the first.
Monza increasingly controlled possession and pushed Lecce deeper.
The visitors finished with 62% of the ball and completed 521 passes compared with Lecce’s 303. Their 86% pass accuracy also reflected a team that increasingly dictated the rhythm.
More importantly, Monza created volume.
They attempted 16 shots and put nine on target.
Lecce produced only seven shots in total.
Those numbers explain why the final score should not be interpreted as a comfortable home victory.
Lecce were more efficient.
Monza were more persistent.
The difference was timing.
The Statistics Reveal Two Completely Different Matches
| Statistic | Lecce | Monza |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 7 | 16 |
| Shots on target | 4 | 9 |
| Possession | 38% | 62% |
| Passes | 303 | 521 |
| Pass accuracy | 77% | 86% |
| Fouls | 14 | 13 |
| Yellow cards | 2 | 0 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
| Offsides | 0 | 4 |
| Corners | 4 | 6 |
Lecce scored with three of their first-half opportunities and then spent much of the match protecting what they had built.
Monza, by contrast, accumulated territory and attempts without converting enough of them.
The difference between nine shots on target and two goals is significant.
It suggests Monza were not simply sterile in possession. They reached dangerous areas often enough to create a real threat, but their finishing and Lecce goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone prevented the comeback from arriving earlier.
Zeballos Turned the Final Minutes Into a Survival Test
Monza’s late reward finally arrived through Exequiel Zeballos in the 89th minute.
The Argentine’s goal made it 3-2 and transformed the closing minutes.
Until that point, Lecce had been bending without completely losing control.
Zeballos changed the emotional equation.
Monza now needed only one more moment.
Lecce, who had once led 3-1 after 21 minutes, suddenly had to defend the result under maximum pressure.
They survived.
The official Monza match report also records Lecce’s 3-2 victory at the Via del Mare. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
For Lecce, the Win Matters More Than the Warning Signs
Di Francesco will see both sides of the performance.
The positive part is obvious.
Lecce scored three times, produced their first home victory of the season and responded immediately after consecutive defeats.
The concerns are equally clear.
They allowed Monza to control 62% possession, concede 16 shots and put nine efforts on target.
Against stronger opposition, that volume could become impossible to survive.
But survival seasons are built around points before aesthetics.
Lecce entered the weekend needing a response after falling to Cagliari, a match covered in our Cagliari-Lecce match report.
They got one.
Monza’s Position Is Becoming More Difficult
Monza have shown competitive stretches without turning enough of them into points.
Before kickoff, the official Serie A preview described this as a match that could allow Monza to move above Lecce. Instead, defeat leaves the visitors under even greater early-season pressure. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
They can take encouragement from the response.
Mangas scored.
Zeballos scored.
The team created nine shots on target.
Those are not the statistics of a side that has completely lost attacking belief.
The problem is what came before.
Giving away three goals inside 21 minutes left Monza chasing an almost impossible game state.
Their next challenge is turning pressure into control before the scoreboard gets away from them.
This Was an Early Survival Game With Real Weight
September is too early to call any Serie A fixture decisive.
It is not too early for patterns to become uncomfortable.
Lecce had already been beaten heavily by Roma, while Monza had collected only one point from their opening three matches.
That context gave this game more weight than a routine Matchday 4 fixture.
TSE’s Serie A 2026-27 season preview focused primarily on the title race, but the battle at the other end of the table is already beginning to take shape.
Lecce have now created some early separation.
Monza have not.
Serie A’s Middle and Lower Table Is Already Tightening
The opening weeks have produced very different trajectories across the league.
Inter and Roma began strongly, a development examined in TSE’s Matchday 3 Serie A roundup.
Elsewhere, teams expected to spend the season in the middle or lower half are already discovering how little margin exists between a point and a defeat.
Torino’s narrow win over Fiorentina provided one example.
Como’s four-goal performance against Genoa showed another side of the league, where one explosive spell can completely distort an otherwise competitive contest.
Lecce-Monza belonged somewhere between those two extremes.
The opening 21 minutes looked like a rout.
The final hour looked like a match that could still change.
What Lecce Should Take From This
The best part of Lecce’s afternoon was their ruthlessness.
Four shots on target produced three goals.
That is the kind of conversion rate that can carry a team through matches where it does not control possession.
The challenge is making sure they do not need that level of efficiency every week.
Di Francesco’s side cannot regularly concede 16 shots and expect the same outcome.
Still, after two consecutive defeats, the priority was ending the sequence.
The victory does that.
It also gives Lecce something their season had been missing after the opening weekend: evidence that they can win a difficult home match even after losing control of it.
What Comes Next?
Monza return home to face Sassuolo on September 20, according to the club’s official 2026-27 Serie A schedule. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
Lecce will look to build on their first home victory as the early Serie A schedule continues.
For more Italian football coverage, visit The Sports Encounter’s Serie A section and our latest Serie A weekend roundup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Lecce vs Monza?
Lecce beat Monza 3-2 at the Via del Mare on September 13, 2026.
Who scored for Lecce?
Lassana Coulibaly scored twice, in the third and 21st minutes, while Tiago Gabriel scored Lecce’s other goal in the 11th minute.
Who scored for Monza?
Ricardo Mangas scored in the 20th minute and Exequiel Zeballos scored in the 89th minute.
Was this Lecce’s first home win of the season?
Yes. Lecce recorded their first home Serie A victory of the 2026-27 campaign.
How many shots did Monza have?
Monza recorded 16 shots, with nine on target.
How much possession did Monza have?
Monza finished with 62% possession compared with Lecce’s 38%.
How many shots on target did Lecce have?
Lecce had four shots on target and scored three times.
Who was Lecce’s standout player?
Lassana Coulibaly was the decisive figure after scoring two of Lecce’s three goals.
What is next for Monza?
Monza host Sassuolo on September 20 in their next Serie A fixture.