Serie A | Verona 0-0 Lecce – Honours even in cagey affair at the Bentegodi despite late VAR intervention

Lecce and Verona played out a tense but goalless encounter, with both sides struggling to turn promising moments into clear-cut chances in a match short on quality in the final third.

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The result sees Lecce move one point clear of the relegation zone, whilst Verona leave themselves with just 4 games to overcome a ten-point deficit.

Kieron Bowie and Toma Suslov were back in the Hellas squad, but Gift Orban was left out after he was caught on camera in a physical altercation with a Verona fan. Daniel Mosquera, Suat Serdar, Daniel Oyegoke and Cheikh Niasse were also injured, but Gaby Jean returned from a long lay-off. Lecce had Tiago Gabriel suspended, plus Riccardo Sottil, Kialonda Gaspar, Sadik Fofana and Medon Berisha on the treatment table.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

The hosts made the brighter start, enjoying long spells of possession and probing patiently for openings. Lameck Banda was central to their early attacking intent, twice testing the Verona defence, but his efforts were either blocked or drifted off target. Verona, meanwhile, looked to respond on the break, with Tomas Suslov forcing a routine save from Wladimiro Falcone midway through the first half.

Despite decent build-up play from both teams, clear opportunities remained limited before the interval. Lecce’s Nikola Stulic came closest before the break, heading wide from a set-piece, while Verona struggled to make the most of their crossing opportunities.

Verona 0-0 Lecce – Nothing between the teams

The second half followed a similar pattern, with Lecce carrying the greater attacking threat. Banda was again involved, drawing a sharp save from Lorenzo Montipò with a powerful strike, while Walid Cheddira headed well wide when well placed from a corner.

Verona made several changes in an attempt to shift momentum, but their best opening came when Rafik Belghali broke into the area, only to be denied by Falcone’s quick reactions.

As the game wore on, frustrations grew. A series of fouls and bookings disrupted the flow, with both sides lacking the composure needed to find a breakthrough. Late substitutions, including the introduction of young forward Francesco Camarda, failed to change the outcome.

Late on, Lecce had a final chance to snatch victory, but Camarda’s cross drifted harmlessly beyond the far post.

Then, Verona had a goal ruled out. A free kick floated into the box found Andrias Edmundsson who rose to power a header home.

However, VAR intervened due to a foul in the build-up and ruled out the goal.

In the end, neither side did enough to claim all three points, settling for a draw that reflects a match defined more by effort than cutting edge.

Verona 0-0 Lecce