LECE, Italy (AP) – English winger Jack Harrison scored his first Serie A goal for Fiorentina on Monday, but Thiago Gabriel’s late equalizer gave Lecce a 1-1 draw and a vital point towards avoiding relegation.
With half an hour remaining, the forward on loan from Leeds curled a superb left-footed shot into the far corner of the goal. It was his first goal in 18 games and looked like it would give Fiorentina their third consecutive league title.
Lecce had not scored for 357 minutes heading into the home game, but their bad luck looked set to continue as Walid Chedira and Lassana Koulibaly’s shots on target were blocked by the Fiorentina defense.
However, in the 71st minute, Thiago Gabriel’s sharp header from a corner kick by Antonino Gallo sealed the points.
Having avoided a five-game losing streak, third-to-last Lecce have risen to 28 points, level with Cremonese, the team above them. The bottom three will go down.
Fiorentina were 8 points higher in 15th place. With this draw, Fiorentina is now unbeaten in six consecutive league games.
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