Lecce stun Champions League chasers Atalanta, Juve beat Spezia

Milan, Feb 19, 2023 (AFP) - Assan Ceesay opened the scoring in the fourth minute in Bergamo with a thumping low strike from distance and Alexis Blin headed in the crucial second in the 74th minute as Lecce claimed a shock 2-1 win over Atalanta.

Young gun Rasmus Hojlund pulled one back late on with his second in as many weeks, but Atalanta couldn't make the most of the seven minutes of added time to snatch a point.

"We keep conceding these early goals and if it keeps happening then it's obviously our fault," said Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini.

"Top teams don't do this on a regular basis."

Atalanta sit sixth in Serie A.

Marco Baroni's Lecce are 13th and 10 points above Verona while Atalanta are three points behind third-placed AC Milan, where Gasperini's team play next weekend.

One place behind Atalanta are Juventus, who are now nine points away from the European spots after their third league win on the bounce, 2-0 at struggling Spezia.

Juve would be second, level on 47 points with Inter Milan had they not been slapped with a 15-point penalty last month for what the Italian Football Federation ruled was illicit transfer activity designed to artificially boost their balance sheet.

Instead they are seventh and awaiting a decision on their appeal against that punishment, Moise Kean and Angel Di Maria scoring the goals in each half which claimed the points at the Stadio Alberto Picco.

Defeat was harsh on Spezia, who are waiting for Leonardo Semplici to become their new coach after sacking Luca Gotti, as they had Juve on the back foot for large chunks of the match and were twice denied by super Mattia Perin saves in the second half.

A fifth defeat in four matches has Spezia two points above Verona and at risk of dropping into the bottom three.