Lecce, April 21: English winger Jack Harrison scored his first Serie A goal for Fiorentina though a late equalizer from Tiago Gabriel gave Lecce a 1-1 draw and a vital point on Monday in its bid to avoid relegation.
With half an hour on the clock, the on-loan forward from Leeds curled a superb left-foot shot into the far corner.
It was his first goal in 18 appearances and looked like giving Fiorentina a third consecutive league triumph.
Lecce had not scored for 357 minutes coming into the home fixture and its bad luck looked set to continue when Walid Cheddira and Lassana Coulibaly both had goal-bound attempts hacked clear by the Fiorentina defense.
However, Tiago Gabriel’s glancing header from an Antonino Gallo corner after 71 minutes ensured a share of the points.
Avoiding a fifth consecutive defeat, third-to-last Lecce climbed to 28 points, the same as the team above it, Cremonese. The bottom three go down.
Fiorentina was eight points above them in 15th. The draw was Fiorentina’s sixth straight league match without defeat.
In the end, what appeared set to be a routine away victory for Fiorentina turned into a tense and hard-fought stalemate, underlining once again the unpredictable nature of a relegation battle where desperation often fuels late drama.
Jack Harrison’s moment of brilliance had briefly tilted the contest in the visitors’ favour, offering a glimpse of composure and quality in a match otherwise shaped by urgency and resilience.
Yet Lecce, driven by the weight of their precarious position, refused to fade, pushing forward with renewed belief until Tiago Gabriel’s timely intervention restored parity and hope.
The result not only halted Lecce’s losing streak but also injected fresh life into their survival bid, as every point now carries immense value in a tightly contested scrap at the bottom.
Fiorentina, meanwhile, will take some solace from extending their unbeaten run, though the inability to hold on to a lead may leave a lingering sense of missed opportunity. (AP)
