Genoa made it three straight wins in Serie A's survival fight with a 2-1 victory away to Lecce, and Junior Messias was at the centre of all of it. He assisted the opener for Milutin Osmajić, scored the second in the 28th minute and finished with a match rating of 9. For Daniele De Rossi's side, it was also the first away win in this run.

Messias decided the game early

The pattern of Lecce vs Genoa was straightforward enough in the key moments. Messias delivered the cross for Osmajić to put Genoa ahead in the 11th minute, then got on the scoresheet himself before the half-hour.

Sky Sport Italia, in comments translated from Italian, described it this way: "Third straight win (and first away from home) for De Rossi's side, ahead in the 11th minute through Osmajic, who scores with the inside of his foot the 4th goal in the league from a cross by Messias."

Messias' influence went beyond the two direct contributions. He has now made 9 Serie A appearances this season, and his 7.2 season rating suggests this was well above his usual level rather than a routine afternoon. A goal and an assist in the same match is the kind of return that changes the result on its own.

football-italia.net's match summary had the broad verdict right: "Genoa notched up a third consecutive victory and this success away to Lecce could prove crucial in the fight to stay in Serie A, as Junior Messias inspired with a goal and assist."

Lecce's late push came up short

Lecce were not blown away, and they gave Genoa a nervous finish. Youssef Maleh pulled one back in the 40th minute with a deflected free kick, which kept the home side alive heading into the second half.

Late pressure nearly produced an equaliser. Nikola Štulić had the ball in the net in stoppage time, but the goal was ruled out for handball, so Genoa escaped with the lead intact.

That left Lecce with a third straight league defeat and still on 9 points. Genoa's side of the story is far healthier: three consecutive victories, with this one the first away from home in that sequence.

One name from the teamsheet, Stephan El Shaarawy, also served as a reminder that Genoa had attacking support around Messias. But this result belonged to Messias more than anyone else. The decisive facts were simple: he created the first, scored the second and carried Genoa to a 2-1 win at Lecce on 1 November.

FAQ

Why was Junior Messias the key player in Genoa vs Lecce?

Messias decided both Genoa goals in the 1-2 win at Lecce. He supplied the cross for Milutin Osmajić's opener, then scored himself in the 28th minute. He also finished with a 9 match rating, which fits the view that he was the standout performer in Genoa's third straight league win.

How important was Genoa's win away to Lecce for Daniele De Rossi's side?

It was Genoa's third consecutive Serie A victory and their first away win in that run. The result pushed De Rossi's team further away from the relegation zone, but it does not settle anything yet. What it did show was a side finding form at a useful point of the season.

What happened late in Genoa's win over Lecce?

Lecce stayed in the game after Youssef Maleh scored in the 40th minute with a deflected free kick. They thought they had rescued a point in stoppage time, but Nikola Štulić's equaliser was ruled out for handball, so Genoa held on for the 1-2 win.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →