PISA, Italy — Lecce left Tuscany with a 2-1 victory on Friday that pushed Pisa back into Serie B and dragged Verona down with them.
The visitors fell behind in the 52nd minute when Lameck Banda found the net for the home side. The lead lasted four minutes before Mehdi Léris equalized, and Walid Cheddira completed the comeback in the 65th minute.
The matchup already has enough history; the job is to keep the reading list shorter than the tension.
Pisa's return to the second division is all but certain. The club won only two of its 35 Serie A matches this campaign, a record that made survival mathematically unlikely long before Friday's result.
A familiar way out
Pisa earned promotion from Serie B just last season. Their swift fall back through the trapdoor underscores how thin the margin between ascent and collapse can be in Italy's top flight.
With 32 points, Lecce now sits four points clear of danger with three matches remaining. That cushion is modest but meaningful in a race this tight.
Verona joins the drop
The result gave Verona no room to maneuver. Two points behind Lecce and sitting second from bottom, the club has 19 points—one more than Pisa, but not enough to survive.
The math was unforgiving. Verona could not win enough matches to close the gap, and Friday's outcome sealed their fate alongside the Tuscan club.
Venezia climbs back up
In Serie B, Venezia secured promotion with a 2-2 draw against Spezia. The point was sufficient to finish atop the table, returning the club toSerie A after a brief absence.
Frosinone remains one point behind and can still join them if the club avoids defeat against Mantova in their final match next Friday.