Lecce ended a frustrating goal drought in style, defeating Udinese 2-1 at the Stadio Via del Mare thanks to Omri Gandelman’s opener and a stunning late free kick from Lameck Banda, moving themselves clear of the relegation zone.
The Salentini had been in a perilous slide, collecting just two points in their previous eight Serie A matches, albeit against Juventus and Lazio.
Scoring woes were glaring, with only two goals in their last nine outings. Injuries to Francesco Camarda and Medon Berisha compounded the struggles.
Udinese, on the other hand, came in with momentum from back-to-back wins over Verona and Roma, though key players Keinan Davis, Hassane Kamara, Adam Buksa, Jakub Piotrowski, and Alessandro Zanoli were unavailable.
Nicolò Zaniolo was fit only for the bench after knee surgery.
January signing Walid Cheddira earned his first start for Lecce but squandered a golden chance when he headed Riccardo Sottil’s cross off target from six yards.
The breakthrough came after more than 430 minutes without a goal, courtesy of Udinese’s mistakes.
During a slick Lecce move, Jesper Karlstrom slipped while trying to control Cheddira’s cross, allowing Omri Gandelman to sweep in from 12 yards for his first Serie A goal.
Udinese responded when Jordan Zemura was fouled by Kialonda Gaspar, earning a penalty. Defender Oumar Solet calmly converted from the spot with a stuttering run-up to level the score.
Chances continued to flow: Tiago Gabriel headed over from a Sottil corner, and Danilo Veiga’s powerful effort was tipped over by Maduka Okoye.
Frustrated fans voiced their displeasure at coach Eusebio Di Francesco’s substitutions, demanding a more attacking approach.
Udinese threatened through Ylber Ramadani, while Zaniolo and Konan N’Dri missed promising opportunities. Lecce nearly regained the lead in the 87th minute when Gandelman’s deflected shot clipped the crossbar.
Moments later, Lameck Banda was fouled just outside the area and stepped up to curl a brilliant free kick into the near top corner, sending the home crowd into ecstasy.
The strike sealed Lecce’s first victory of 2026 and lifted the team out of immediate danger.
