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[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE]

3 clusters · 17 sources · 11 days · First seen 11 days ago · Last updated about 23 hours ago

Categories: SPORTS

Lecce pre-season friendly matches 2026

Entities: NK Bistrica · U.S. Lecce · Austria · Paco Esteban · Eusebio Di Francesco

Overview

Italian Serie A club U.S. Lecce began its 2026 pre‑season with a 1‑0 win over Hungarian side Haladás VSE in Szombathely on 19 July, followed by a 2‑2 draw against Croatian top‑flight team Istra 1961 in Fürstenfeld, Austria, on 25 July. The fixtures were used by coach Eusebio Di Francesco to evaluate fitness, tactical balance and the integration of new sign‑ings.

Lecce closed its Austrian camp on 29 July with an emphatic 5‑2 victory over Slovenian second‑division club NK Bistrica in Bad Loipersdorf. Young forward Paco Esteban scored twice, Youssef Maleh added a penalty, and goals came from Kovac and Onyemachi, while an own‑goal by Jean increased the tally. NK Bistrica’s sole reply was a strike from Vrdoljak. Di Francesco rotated the squad, giving significant minutes to several youth players and noting the absence of Danilo Veiga, Berisha and Gandelman.

The three friendlies complete Lecce’s pre‑season schedule. The team will return to Italy for a Coppa Italia match in Palermo on 16 August before opening its Serie A campaign on 23 August in Venice.

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 3 SOURCES] Lecce defeated NK Bistrica 5-2 in a friendly match in Austria. (All three articles)
[● 3 SOURCES] Paco Esteban scored twice for Lecce. (All three articles)
[● 3 SOURCES] Maleh converted a penalty for Lecce. (All three articles)
[● 3 SOURCES] Kovac scored a goal for Lecce. (All three articles)
[● 3 SOURCES] Onyemachi scored a goal for Lecce. (All three articles)
[● 3 SOURCES] Vrdoljak scored for NK Bistrica. (All three articles)
[● 3 SOURCES] The match was the final friendly of Lecce's preseason camp in Bad Loipersdorf, Austria. (All three articles)
[● 2 SOURCES] Lecce will play a Coppa Italia match on 16 August in Palermo and start the Serie A season on 23 August in Venice. (All three articles)

Timeline

about 23 hours ago

[SPORTS] 8 sources
Lecce finish Austrian preseason with 5-2 victory over NK Bistrica
Lecce beat Slovenia’s NK Bistrica 5-2 in the final Austrian preseason friendly, with Paco Esteban netting a double and Maleh scoring a penalty.
5 days ago

[SPORTS] 2 sources
Istra 1961 draws 2‑2 with Serie A side Lecce in final pre‑season friendly
Istra 1961 drew 2‑2 with Serie A club Lecce in a pre‑season friendly in Austria after goals from Jaganjac, Maleh and Ahmeti, finalising their build‑up before the domestic season.
11 days ago

[SPORTS] 8 sources
Lecce wins 1-0 preseason friendly over Hungarian side Haladás in Szombathely
Lecce beat Hungary's Haladás 1‑0 in a July friendly in Szombathely, using the win to gauge fitness and integrate new signings ahead of the Serie A season.

Sources

ca.sports.yahoo.com · calciolecce.it · calciomagazine.net · calcionews24.com · calciosalernitana.it · corrieresalentino.it · csakfoci.hu · index.hr · lalaziosiamonoi.it · leccesette.it · leccezionale.it · liratv.it · pianetalecce.it · salernitananews.it · telegram.hr · tuttomercatoweb.it · tvoggisalerno.it

This summary has been updated 1 time: see revision history