REGGIO EMILIA, Italy (Interstat) — Walid Cheddira scored twice in the first 25 minutes to lead Lecce to a 3-2 victory over Sassuolo on Sunday in a Serie A opener at Mapei Stadium - Città del Tricolore.

Cheddira opened the scoring in the 14th minute, then Armand Lauriente doubled Lecce’s lead six minutes later. Cheddira struck again in the 25th minute to give the visitors a three-goal advantage before the half-hour mark.

Sassuolo mounted a second-half comeback. Andrea Pinamonti pulled one back in the 82nd minute, and Nikola Štulić scored deep into stoppage time in the sixth minute of added time to make it a one-goal game. But Lecce held on for the win.

The result gave Lecce a 1-0 record in Serie A and across all competitions. Sassuolo fell to 0-1 in the league and overall.

The match featured five yellow cards. Ylber Ramadani was booked in the 54th minute, Tarik Muharemović in the 77th, Danilo Veiga in the 81st, Tiago Gabriel in the 85th and Antonino Gallo in the first minute of second-half stoppage time.

Lecce’s Cheddira was the standout performer, netting a brace inside the opening half-hour. Lauriente provided the assist on Cheddira’s second goal and scored one of his own. Pinamonti and Štulić sparked the Sassuolo response but could not complete the comeback.

The match was played in front of a crowd at the 23,717-capacity venue in Reggio Emilia. Both teams were making their season debuts in Italy’s top flight.

Sassuolo controlled possession for long stretches but struggled to break down Lecce’s defense until the final 10 minutes. The hosts pushed forward after Pinamonti’s goal and created several chances, including a shot that hit the crossbar in the 88th minute. Štulić’s goal came from a scramble in the box after a corner kick.

Lecce absorbed pressure effectively for most of the match and relied on counterattacks. Cheddira’s first goal came on a breakaway, and his second followed a quick transition from midfield.

The win marked a strong start for Lecce under their new manager, though no quotes were available from the team. Sassuolo showed resilience but could not overcome the early deficit.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Sassuolo 3, Lecce 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Sassuolo with a 67.00 percent probability to win.