Pio Esposito gave Inter victory. © APA/afp / STEFANO RELLANDINI
Patience pays off: Inter has extended its lead in the Serie A table. “Muscle man” Pio Esposito made the difference in a tough game on Wednesday evening.
14 January 2026
From: never
While tens of thousands of fans freak out at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, he stays cool and shows off his muscles: Pio Esposito clearly enjoyed his moment in the spotlight in the 1-0 win against Lecce. In the 78th minute, the 20-year-old striker initially set up for Lautaro Martínez in the opponent’s penalty area, only to finally push the ball over the line himself after a save from goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone. The spell was broken, Inter were in the lead – and Esposito was on the scoresheet for the second time this season.
Inter struggled for a long time against underdog Lecce on Wednesday evening. As expected, the Nerazzurri were better than the 17th place in the table, but Marcus Thuram and Co. lacked creativity and consistency in front of the goal. After Martínez and Esposito were substituted, Inter finally became more forceful on offense and fulfilled their duty – and were lavishly rewarded for it.
Close offside: Napoli only celebrates briefly
In front of the league leaders, defending champions Napoli were challenged at home against Parma – and had to share the points for the third time in a row. After the recent draws against Hellas (2:2) and Inter (2:2), there was a draw against the 14th place in the table. from Emilia-Romagna a poor 0-0. Although the ball was in the guests’ net after just eleven minutes, the SSC’s celebration only lasted a short time. Assist provider Pasquale Mazzocchi was offside with his shoulder shortly before Scott McTominay’s supposed opening goal. The goal was canceled after the video referee intervened.
Napoli suffered a setback in the title fight. © APA/afp / CARLO HERMANN
It was to be the only moment in which Napoli came very close to the three points. Despite their superiority in play, the home team simply couldn’t find a way to counter the self-sacrificing Parma defense. The Azzurri bit their teeth in front of their home crowd – and later in the evening had to watch as Inter moved away to six points.
Serie A – Games on Wednesday
Napoli – Parma 0:0
Inter – Lecce 1:0 (0:0)
Tore: 1:0 Esposito (78.)
