Udinese claimed three vital points in the first match of Serie A Round 28 thanks to a strong start and goals from Destiny Udogie and Gerard Deulofeu. Francesco Caputo’s strike wasn’t enough for Sampdoria to draw as the Blucerchiati dangerously moved close to the bottom three teams in the relegation zone battle.
Starting XIs: Cioffi Makes Two Changes, Giampaolo Recovers Two Starters
Roberto Pereyra started for Udinese for the first time in over three months after he suffered a collarbone injury on November 28th. The Argentine replaced Jean-Victor Makengo in midfield. On the left side, coach Cioffi confirmed Udogie over Marvin Zeegelaar after his brilliant performance against Milan.
Although Giampaolo recovered two important pieces as Bartosz Bereszynski and Antonio Candreva made their comeback after one-match bans, he had to make up with the absence of Andrea Conti due to an injury and Norwegian midfielder Morten Thorsby who was suspended.
Deulofeu and Udogie Shock Samp, Caputo Answers Back
The Friulani took the lead on three minutes as El Tucu Pereyra found space on the right and served Deulofeu, who didn’t miss his chance. Ten minutes later, Udinese found again the back of the net, this time with Italian left wing Destiny Udogie, whose left-footed shot left no chance to Samp’s goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone.
However, a seemingly-harmless long pass from the back from Maya Yoshida lead to a defensive blunder on Rodrigo Becao’s part. Caputo promptly jumped to the opportunity and halved the gap for the Blucerchiati.
Later on, Sampdoria almost found the net again as Candreva dribbled past Udogie and offered Fabio Quagliarella a mouth-watering chance. However, Marco Silvestri maked a fine save to deny the 38-year-old’s header.
Beto Almost Breaks Drought as Giovinco Debuts
The start to the second half was identical to the first but with no goals. Falcone pulled off a great save from a Walace challenge, then was saved by his crossbar a few minutes later as Beto’s header crashed into the woodwork. It could have ended the Portuguese’s seven-game scoring drought.
The match got heated and referee Massimiliano Irrati was forced to pull out his yellow card six times, with five of these being for the Friulani. Coach Giampaolo made four changes and went all-in by bringing in Sebastian Giovinco – who thus made his debut for the Blucerchiati and returned to play in Serie A after seven years. However, the 35-year old Italian striker could not do anything to avoid the loss.
If Cioffi was visibly happy at full time, embracing his own players for gaining three significant points, the same cannot be said for Giampaolo who was clearly disappointed and frustrated with his team’s performance.
Udinese are currently 14th in the Serie A table with 29 points. Meanwhile, Sampdoria sit 16th with 26 points, only 4 points clear of the relegation zone.
What’s Next for Udinese and Sampdoria
Both teams have tough fixtures the next weekend as Udinese travel to Naples to face the Partenopei, a tough match that could be another important step for Napoli’s Scudetto dreams. Sampdoria, on the other hand, will host Juventus in a match that could be decisive both for the Blucerchiati to stay in the top league and for the Bianconeri to qualify for a Champions League spot.