Lecce began their home afternoon with the authority of a side determined to make Via del Mare count, then had to endure Monza’s increasingly urgent response before closing out a 3-2 Serie A victory on Sunday. The result from the fourth round was built in a first half that moved at remarkable speed, with the Salentini scoring three times before the interval and Monza refusing to allow the contest to settle.
Lecce 3-2 Monza: Coulibaly’s double carries the hosts through
The match, played on 13 September 2026 at the Stadio Ettore Giardiniero – Via del Mare, was only three minutes old when Lecce took control. Ivan Ilic delivered from a corner and Lassana Coulibaly headed low into the left corner to give the home side an immediate advantage.
Monza had an early chance to respond when Lorenzo Lucchesi was denied from close range following Michael Folorunsho’s involvement, but Lecce soon struck again. Another corner created the opening in the 10th minute, Ilic providing the cross for Tiago Gabriel to head in from the centre of the area.
There was still plenty of resistance in Monza. Jay Robinson was denied in the 17th minute, Gustavo Varela saw an effort saved and Andrea Colpani had a shot blocked during a frantic spell around the Lecce penalty area. Varela later headed narrowly wide from Ricardo Mangas’ cross, while Robinson also missed the target after Varela’s pass.
Monza did pull one back in the 20th minute. Samuele Birindelli supplied Ricardo Mangas, who finished from close distance into the bottom-left corner. Lecce’s reply arrived almost immediately, however, and it restored the two-goal margin. Danilo Veiga crossed from the right and Coulibaly converted from close range for his second of the day.
The hosts went into the break leading 3-1, though the first half had also brought a stoppage for a Lassana Coulibaly injury before he continued. Konan N’Dri was booked after fouling Mangas. Monza were forced into a change at half-time, with Adam Bakoune replacing the injured Mangas, while Santiago Pierotti came on for N’Dri for Lecce.
After the interval, Lecce had opportunities to put the game beyond doubt. Youssef Maleh had an attempt blocked after two corners and later sent a counter-attacking effort wide. Monza, though, continued to create moments: Jay Robinson was stopped from distance, Birindelli had a shot saved after Ebenezer Akinsanmiro’s pass, and Bakoune headed just past the right post from a Birindelli cross.
Both benches looked for a different final phase. Lecce introduced Oumar Ngom for Ilic, then brought on Paco Esteban and Amar Fatah for Nikola Stulic and Joël Monteiro. Mohamed Kaba later replaced Maleh. Monza answered with Patrick Cutrone and Exequiel Zeballos for Robinson and Colpani, followed by Omari Forson for Gustavo Varela and Mathis Mout for Akinsanmiro.
Fatah went close with a shot that skimmed over the bar, while Cutrone sent an effort just wide and was also denied from inside the area. Lecce defender Danilo Veiga received a yellow card in the closing stages as Monza pressed through a sequence of corners and set pieces.
The visitors finally found a second goal in the 89th minute, Zeballos driving a low right-footed free-kick inside the left post. Four minutes of added time followed, and Monza pushed hard for an equaliser. Zeballos had a shot blocked, Andrea Carboni’s header was saved, and Mout saw a long-range effort stopped before an offside flag ended another promising move involving Eddy Kouadio.
Lecce held their ground through the final pressure, preserving the 3-2 scoreline after a match in which their first-half cutting edge proved just enough. For Monza, the late surge showed character but could not erase the costly opening period.
SEO Title: Lecce 3-2 Monza: Coulibaly Scores Twice in Serie A Win
SEO Description: Lecce beat Monza 3-2 at Via del Mare in Serie A round four, with Lassana Coulibaly scoring twice alongside Tiago Gabriel’s first-half header.
