Udinese defeated Parma 4-2 at the Stadio Friuli on Monday evening in Serie A.
A deflected shot from Jose Mauri opened the scoring before an Antonio Di Natale double gave the Zebrette the lead but an Antonio Cassano penalty levelled the match at half-time. A spectacular overhead kick by Thomas Heurtaux gave the Friulani a second-half lead and Afriyie Acquah was shown a second yellow card before Cyril Thereau sealed the win for Udinese in a six-goal thriller.
Both sides came into the game in opposite form with the Bianconeri having won three of their opening four matches in Serie A this season while the Crociati had a reverse record after suffering three defeats from their opening four rounds.
However it was the visitors had the majority of possession in a quiet opening quarter minutes to the match and took the lead on 22 minutes through 18-year-old Jose Mauri, making only his second start for Parma, after his shot took a heavy deflection of Heurtaux.
Conceding their first goal at home this season sprang Udinese into life as Di Natale equalised within six minutes as Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu headed the ball into the path of the 36-year-old to score with a decisive close range finish.
The game opened was opening up considerably and within ninety seconds of levelling the match Udinese goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis showed great agility denying first Massimo Coda from a close-range header and pushing away a Mauri half volley.
The Greece international then blocked a Cassano attempt from the edge of the box and moments later the Zebrette took the lead after a break away through Silvan Widmer on the right side.
Thereau showed great awareness stepping over the ball from Widmer’s cross and Di Natale found the bottom left corner from inside the box to score his fourth Serie A goal of the season.
There was further drama before the end of the first half as Widmer was shown a yellow card for a challenge from behind on Mauri inside the box in the third minute of additional time in the first-half.
Cassano cheekily chipped the penalty down the middle clipping the underside of the crossbar to give Parma a deserved equaliser in the final action of the first-half.
Udinese had the first opportunity on goal three minutes after the interval when Di Natale got away from Alessandro Lucarelli to play in Panagiotis Kone but Parma goalkeeper Antonio Mirante blocked his shot for a corner.
But Mirante was helpless as the Zebrette took the lead for the second time in the match on 58 minutes through a spectacular overhead kick by central defender Heurtaux meeting another cross by Widmer from the right.
Parma responded by introducing Ishak Belfodil and Daniele Galloppa for Paolo De Geglie and Cristobal Jorquera, but were reduced to ten men after Afriyie Acquah was shown a second yellow card for a slide tackle on substitute Luis Muriel on 77 minutes.
As Parma pushed forward looking for an equaliser Thereau sealed Udinese’s fourth win in five Serie A matches with a composed right footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner after a mistake by Lucarelli created the chance.
