Fiorentina 1-2 Udinese: Visitors comeback to hand La Viola rare home defeat
Udinese staged a comeback to secure a 2-1 victory over ACF Fiorentina in Serie A at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, marking La Viola's first home defeat in regular time in 19 matches.
Fiorentina entered the match having won only two of their last five games, causing them to fall slightly behind in the competitive Serie A title race. In contrast, Udinese had managed just one victory in their previous nine encounters.
Given the recent performances of both teams, a strong start was crucial for restoring confidence, and it was the home side that was given the chance to do so when Thomas Kristensen fouled Riccardo Sottil in the penalty area.
Moise Kean confidently converted the penalty, putting La Viola ahead just eight minutes into the match.
As the half-hour mark approached, the visitors believed they had earned a penalty of their own, but VAR intervened to reverse the initial call.
Shortly thereafter, Jordan Zemura had a chance to equalize for the Bianconeri, but his attempt sailed just over the crossbar.
Despite trailing at halftime, Udinese had shown promise in the first half and managed to level the score just four minutes after the break when Lorenzo Lucca scored from within the box.
The striker has yet to experience defeat when scoring in an away match throughout his senior career, and although he struck the post with an overhead kick two minutes later, this impressive record appeared set to continue.
The visitors took the lead soon after, as Florian Thauvin's curling left-footed shot from 25 yards found the left corner of the net, leaving David de Gea with no chance and igniting jubilation among the traveling supporters.
Kean's initial attempt from just inside the penalty area went painfully wide of the right post as Fiorentina sought to level the score. Shortly thereafter, a loose ball narrowly evaded the byline as he attempted to sneak it in at the near post.
The home side exerted every effort to secure a late equaliser; however, Le Zebrette managed to maintain their lead, achieving a commendable victory that solidifies their standing in the upper half of the table. Meanwhile, La Viola missed an opportunity to reduce the gap to the top four as they approach the Christmas period.
SportsLigue