Last weekend’s 2-1 defeat at Monza saw Empoli record their second six-game winless run of this Serie A (SA) season, and early nerves were eminent around Stadio Carlo Castellani. The sole flashpoint of the opening 20 minutes came with Udinese’s first meaningful break of the match, as Kingsley Ehizibue appeared to go down under a challenge in the box from Fabiano Parisi.
However, referee Francesco Cosso refused to give the Zebretti an early penalty, with replays showing that the initial challenge was little more than a 50/50 on the edge of the area.
Although Empoli had the measure of their visitors before half-time, they endured another scare at the first half’s midway point. An inswinging corner from Udinese evaded everyone in the Azzurri’s box, though Jaka Bijol came closest to getting a clean connection and sent a looping header just wide.
Becao did likewise just after the half-hour mark, though his booking on the stroke of half-time was the last significant action before the break, with a 0-0 scoreline reflective of what was generally a midfield scrap with little inspiration.
A level scoreline was also of little surprise when considering that Empoli and Udinese began with 21 league draws combined - the most of any pairing in Serie A. It was hard to predict who would make the telling impact if any, but that question was answered emphatically in the 54th minute. Sandi Lovrić saw a blocked shot go out for a corner, and he turned provider from the flag moments later, as Becao connected with perfection to send the ball past Samuele Perisan to give Udinese fresh hope of registering just a second win in 18 SA outings.
Empoli’s response was spirited, but little else, as two shots flew adrift of Udinese’s upright just after the hour mark, before Tommaso Baldanzi struck from the edge of the box and saw his effort thwarted by Marco Silvestri’s excellent save. Udinese boss Andrea Sottil resisted the urge to make any immediate changes in response, and the Zebretti consolidated their efforts to stem what became increasingly rare Empoli forays forward.
January’s reverse meeting had ended 1-1, but Udinese showed the requisite composure to prevent a repeat. They moved up to ninth while keeping alive Empoli’s lingering fears of a relegation scrap, though Gli Azzurri ended this one 10 points clear of the drop zone.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Rodrigo Becao (Udinese)
