This was the match that Napoli needed -- a match in which they were utterly dominant, a match upon which they could build both within Serie A and leading up to their final group game in the Champions League. A 4-2 victory over Lecce certainly won't dampen their spirits, with Edinson Cavani scoring two, and Ezequiel Lavezzi and Blerim Dzemaili both contributing. Sure, the visitors scored early in the second through Luis Murial, but every team has to have their Salvatore Aronica, and a last minute goal by Daniele Corvia certainly couldn't rescue a point for Lecce. On the whole, the partenopei should feel ecstatic about this result.
Napoli Vs. Lecce, 2011 Serie A: Fulltime Sees Napoli Win In A Six-Goal Thriller
The home side claimed three goals at the San Paolo before the halftime whistle even blew. Lavezzi started things off with a beautiful little goal, dribbling right around two giallorossi shirts, nutmegging a third just for a bit of added flair, and aiming his shot just inside the near post. Massimiliano Benassi could do absolutely nothing to stop the ball from settling into the back of the net.
Cavani's goal was slightly less spectacular, although the pass from Goran Pandev was quite nice, slicing through the heart of the Lecce defense (I use the word defense loosely, mind). El Matador used Benassi's prone body to roll the ball up and into the net.
Having seen what passed for defense in the giallorossi side, Dzemaili thought he’d seize this opportunity to get his goal for the season. In the 42nd minute, the Swiss midfielder, lingering just outside the area, pounced on a poorly cleared ball and shot it through into goal. Napoli were up 3-0 at halftime, and Walter Mazzarri had no idea what to say in the dressing room, being so accustomed to giving the hairdryer treatment during every match.
That might explain why Lecce were able to score early in the second half -- Salvatore Aronica's mind was wandering off to his post-match meal, while Morgan De Sanctis hadn't yet woken up from his halftime nap. Luis Murial took advantage, easily running around Aronica and beating De Sanctis to pull a goal back for Lecce.
Yet Mazzarri seemed less than worried. In fact, he treated the next fifteen minutes like a chess match, and by the 67th minute,Mazzarri elected to turn the training ground exercise into a warm-up for Napoli's match against Villarreal midweek. Walter Gargano was in, Goran Pandev was out. Marek Hamsik came in, but not for either Cavani or Lavezzi -- it was no rest for the weary as the Slovak replaced Dzemaili, perfectly emulating the preferred front seven for Mazzarri's side.
And, in the 82nd minute, the partenopei showed just how lethal their Holy Trinity could be. Despite needing nothing else from the match, the trident combined in perfect synchronicity: Hamsik took the ball in the middle, passing it to Lavezzi racing down the left, who slid the ball across the face of goal to where Cavani was rushing forward to poke the ball in.
Alas, Lecce just couldn’t leave it at that wonder goal, deciding to score once more when the home side had packed it in and were preparing to shed their kits. Daniele Corvia headed one past De Sanctis in the final move of the match, but it certainly wasn’t enough: Lecce remain bottom of Serie A, while Napoli take temporary possession of fifth.
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