Frosinone continued their stunning start to the Serie A campaign with a comfortable 5-1 Serie A win over Lecce, claiming a fourth consecutive home victory for the first time in their Italian top-flight history.
The hosts had scored nine goals in the opening 30 minutes of Serie A encounters this season, a league-high heading into this game, and Fares Ghedjemis came close in the first minute here, latching onto Antonio Raimondo’s cross, only for Wladimiro Falcone to thwart the move.
Falcone was called into action again shortly after, pawing away Giacomo Calo’s drilled shot, before Joel Monteiro forced a fantastic save from Lorenzo Palmisani with a curling effort from the edge of the 18-yard box at the other end.
With 25 minutes on the clock, Ghedjemis teed Matteo Cichella up on the edge of Lecce’s box, and he fired a first-time shot into the back of the net for his first-ever Serie A goal.
Seven minutes later, Giorgi Kvernadze should have made it 2-0 from a lightning-quick counterattack after finding himself in plenty of space, but Falcone prevented his shot from heading just inside the right post.
Nonetheless, Kvernadze redeemed himself just before half-time, winning a penalty, which Calo expertly converted to double Frosinone’s lead.
Lecce were left feeling aggrieved as appeals for a spot-kick just moments before were ignored by referee Rosario Abisso and VAR.
Lecce started the second half positively, although Youssef Maleh could only fire an effort well over Palmisani’s crossbar.
However, it didn’t take long for Frosinone to regain their grip on the game, and they came close to a third when Ghedjemis’s low effort was again thwarted by Falcone, who made an even better save as Anthony Oyono headed towards goal from the resulting corner.
Yet the game was over as a contest before the hour mark when Kvernadze fed the in-form Raimondo with an inch-perfect through ball, which the striker simply couldn’t miss, firing past Falcone from close range for his eighth league goal of the season.
Hungry for more, Frosinone continued to cut Lecce open almost every time they went forward, and two minutes after coming on, substitute Daniel Birligea got in on the act, just about staying onside to bag his first goal for the club following a VAR check.
Heading into the final 10 minutes, Frosinone took their foot off the gas, and Monteiro was able to restore some pride for Lecce with a late consolation.
But Birligea rubbed salt in Lecce’s wounds in added time, making it 5-1 with his second of the game.
Lecce have now lost four of their last five league games (W1) to leave Eusebio Di Francesco’s side 14th. Meanwhile, sixth-place Frosinone continue to impress, netting four or more goals in each of their last three league matches (W2, D1).
Flashscore Man of the Match: Giorgi Kvernadze (Frosinone)
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