Bari are staring down the barrel of the Serie A rifle after becoming the latest victims of the Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani show. A goal in each half from Napoli’s version of Batman and Robin was enough to ensure that Walter Mazzarri’s men left Puglia with all three points to leave Bari cut adrift at the foot of the table.  In a game that will not live long in the memory, the difference between the two teams was clear, Napoli converted two of [...]

When a star collapses under its own weight, in an extraordinary phenomenon that occurs for a variety of reasons including an excess consumption of fuel, a black hole results. The star’s internal pressure cannot withstand the force of its own gravity, and essentially implodes, becoming a swirling outlet which devours anything it comes across. On a scientific level, this exists as mere fact. On a metaphorical one however, it seems that Francesco Totti has become a black hole at Roma- [...]

It’s been a fabulous week to be a Lecce supporter, a fantastic win in the capital in week 19 against Lazio was backed up with a courageous performance on Sunday evening against league leaders Milan to earn a 1-1 draw and instill some new found belief in their fight for Serie A survival. For 49 minutes of Sunday evening’s match it looked like the Salentini were hopelessly out of their depth. Milan dominated possession with only the heroics of goalkeeper Antonio Rosati keeping the score-sheet [...]

AC Milan failed to extend their lead at the top of the table to 6 points as a spirited Lecce pegged them back to a 1-1 draw. Qasa Alom reports. Before the game Max Allegri said that his team were coming into a key 6 match period and that could‘nt have gotten off to a worse star! The most worrying aspect of the result tonight though, for the former Cagliari manager, will be his teams performance. Mathieu Flamini and Massimo [...]

Magnificent, sensational or as the Italian’s like to say strepitoso or resounding, just some of the words  that best describe Napoli striker Edinson Cavani’s display at a packed San Paolo on Sunday evening after his treble strike  destroyed woeful Juventus. Even by his own high standards, this will go down as Il Matador’s finest hour in a Napoli shirt since his 20 million euro move from Palermo in the summer. Two headed goals, the first, after 21 minutes following fine work by Christian Maggio on the right, the [...]

Napoli were involved in the biggest fixture of week 18 as Walter Mazzarri took his team to the Giuseppe Meazza to face Inter. The Partenopei ‘s title aspirations will be severely tested over the first four days following the winter break with a home fixture against Juventus to come on Sunday evening. Unfortunately, they failed their first test miserably as the home side ran out comfortable 3-1 winners. To sum up, the Neapolitans were never really in the game and after Thiago Motta had delivered [...]

On Thursday afternoon at the Stadio Via del Mare in Lecce, Serie A returns to Puglia with the most eagerly anticipated derby for many years. To say that Lecce v Bari will be a relegation six pointer  hardly does justice to a game that will surely see the losers dealt a psychological blow that they will find impossible to recover from. But whilst Lecce coach Luigi De Canio and his Bari counterpart Gian Piero Ventura welcomed back their respective squads from the winter sabbatical, the [...]

Last Wednesday, after Napoli striker Edinson Cavani had scored a dramatic injury time winner against Steaua Bucharest to send his team through to the knock-out stages of the Europa League, he stated that his last gasp strike was ” a miracle from God“. Fast forward four days then to another miracle, as the Uruguayan hit-man produced an incredible 20 metre strike to score the only goal against Lecce on Sunday afternoon and send the tifosi at the Stadio San Paolo into ecstasy and send his [...]

On Saturday evening, Napoli proved to the rest of Serie A that they are serious title contenders after a hard fought 1-0 victory against Genoa at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. A brilliant headed goal from Slovakian international Marik Hamšík after 26 minutes, was enough to give Walter Mazzarri’s men all three points and move the Vesuviani up to second place in the championship standings. In a tense and at times brutal affair, the visitors displayed their battling qualities to keep the [...]

November was a wretched month for Lecce, not a single win in the Serie A championship, indeed, the only point picked up over the five matches played during the month was after a battling home draw against Inter. Their star striker, Javier Chevanton, was handed a five game ban for a show of petulance in the home defeat against Sampdoria, whilst coach Luigi De Canio was given the dreaded vote of confidence by club President Pierandrea Semeraro. To add to [...]

So after a week of Coppa Italia action in the peninsula, Sicilian side Catania are Southern Italy’s only success story as they progress into the last 16 of the competition. Il Elefanti destroyed fellow Serie A side Brescia at the Stadio Angelo Massimino on Wednesday evening to set up a mouthwatering tie in Turin against Juventus.  Brazilian midfielder Martinho opened the scoring for the hosts after just 13 minutes, but five minutes later, the visitors were level thanks to a goal [...]

Javier Chevanton, Lecce’s Uruguayan striker has been given a five match ban by the Italian football federation after his sending off against Sampdoria last weekend. Firstly, lets take a look at the case for the prosecution.  37 minutes into the first-half of last Sunday’s game, Chevanton went down inside the visitors penalty area in what looked like a clear foul, the referee, Gabriele Gava, waved away the players frantic appeals and play continued. Moments later Chevanton lunged into a tackle on former [...]