Udinese have all but assured their Serie A safety, defeating Fiorentina by a score of 2-1 at the Dacia Arena.
Duvan Zapata opened the scoring just 90 seconds into the match, before Mauro Zarate brought the Viola level twenty minutes later. Cyril Thereau earned the three points for the Zebrette early in the second half.
Before many fans had a chance to take their seats, the home side already found themselves in front. An early Bruno Fernandes corner kick found an unmarked Zapata whose header went into the ground and bounced just past the outstretched arm of goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu.
Fiorentina responded in the 23rd minute through Zarate. The Argentine’s original effort forced an impressive reaction save out of Orestis Karnezis but the striker then proceeded to smash the rebound into the roof of the net.
Emmanuel Badu came close twice within the span of a minute, the second chance crashing off the top of the crossbar.
Federico Bernardeschi momentarily found himself alone on goal but Thomas Heurtaux threw his body to make a crucial tackle.
Udinese were denied by the woodwork for the second time just before the break when Thereau flicked a Danilo header onto the bar.
The Zebrette reclaimed their lead in the 53rd minute when an accurate low cross by Silvan Widmer was turned in by Thereau at the near post, bringing the Frenchman into double digits for the season.
Zapata could have provided his side with some daylight after 67 minutes but missed at the far post while through on goal. Luckily for the home side, the miss did not come back to haunt them.
The victory moves Udinese into the 14th position, now eight points above the relegation zone. Fiorentina meanwhile, have seen their Champions League qualification hopes take a massive hit, remaining in 5th place and dropping to nine points behind Roma in the coveted 3rd spot.
