Udinese were defeated 3-1 by Palermo in what was an uncomfortable afternoon for the home side at the Stadio Friuli.
The away side took a justified first half lead thanks to goals from Achraf Lazaar and Luca Rigoni [15th and 21st minute] and they soon sealed the victory in the 66th minute thanks to a well-placed header from Ivajlo Chechov.
Antonio Di Natale did manage a consolation in 81st minute but it was all too late for the home side who remain in 14th place.
Udinese
Orestis Karnezis – 4.5 – Undone
No blame for the fire-cracker first goal however his positioning for the second and third could perhaps be criticised as he was caught out by predictable cross-field balls.
Molla Wague – 4 – Terrible
An absolutely horrific first half for the Udinese defence with Wague a central figure in terms of the frailties. Unforgivably absent for the second goal which subsequently allowed for Rigoni to stride in unmarked and slot the ball home. Let down by poor tactics from his coach but still a reckless display.
Larangeira Danilo – 3.5 – Weak-link
Himself and his defensive counter-part were without a doubt the weak-link at the heart of the Zebrette. Lacked composure when in possession of the ball and rarely stayed tight to his man allowing for Dybala to run them ragged.
Ivan Piris – 3.5 – Schoolboy
Lost out on a vital 50/50 challenge in the build up to Palermo’s second goal and lacked the desire to help out his defence. Justifiably substituted in the 46th minute.
Silvan Widmer – 4 – Struggled
Did not seem to understand the position he has been put in by Andrea Stramaccioni [Udinese coach] and had very little impact on the match.
Allan – 6 – Positive
A shining light during a very bleak first half for the Zebrette. His quality was on display despite the poor performance from his team-mates and his relentless work-rate and accurate passing ability helped carry the Udinese midfield. It was his intelligent ball that assisted Di Natale’s goal.
Giampiero Pinzi – 4.5 – Laboured
The 34-year-old was a dead-weight in midfield for the home side and his passive positioning in front of the back three did not provide any solidity in the slightest. His performance was summed up by a disappointing miss in the 61st minute when his tired shot drifted past the left hand post.
Guilherme – 4 – Unimaginative
A lack of imagination and creativity was the main flaw to his poor display. He never threatened the opposition with decisive passes or runs and a wasteful 40-yard strike in the second half summed up his entire performance.
Silva Gabriel – 4.5 – Submissive
A submissive display in which the left winger never once tried to take on an opponent or surge forwards. His lack of attacking ambition and side-ways passing often led to frustrated whistles from the crowd however he improved defensively in the second half and used his frustration well to benefit his defensive work.
Cyril Thereau – 5 – Unfortunate
A bright opening 10 minutes from the Frenchman as he did well to find space in between the lines however as the possession dried up for the home side so did his involvement and he was eventually taken off in the 69th minute.
Antonio Di Natale – 5.5 – Pride
After 80 minutes of exile, the Bianconeri captain salvaged some sort of pride for his side when he scored his 204th goal in the 81st minute. His touches were mostly limited to set-pieces but he did well to get on the score-sheet and find some sort of consolation for the fans.
Substitutes
Stipe Perica – 4 – Nothing
Did nothing to influence his side’s fortunes and looked a bit lost in attack.
Emmanuel Badu – 3.5 – Written off
Entered the pitch to a cacophony of boos and whistles with his team losing 3-0. On one of his rare occasions in possession, he fired a wayward cross into the middle of an empty stand much to the perverse delight of the home fans.
Rodrigo Aguirre – N/A
Palermo
Stefano Sorrentino – 5.5 – Disappointed
Will be disappointed to have lost his clean-sheet after such a dominant display from his team-mates. Had a relatively comfortable afternoon thanks Udinese’s lack of offensive ambition but could not keep out Di Natale’s consolation in the final 10 minutes.
Roberto Vitiello – 6 – Precise
Precise when in possession and rarely gave the ball away. His hard-working display down the left-wing provided a good outlet on the counter attack for the Rosanero.
Giancarlo Gonzalez – 6.5 – Resolute
A commanding presence at the back for the Aquile with very little getting past him. Strong in the tackle and helped his side play out from defence.
Sinisa Andelkovic – 6.5 – Very Good
Along with Gonzalez, the Slovenian was a reliable presence on the left hand side of the Palermo defence. His timing of the tackle was excellent and often possessed the confidence to stride out and push the play forwards.
Andrea Rispoli – 6.5 – Offensive
Good when going forwards and showed this by striking the post in the second half. Faultless in defence.
Luca Rigoni – 6.5 – Vibrant
Doubled his side’s lead in the 21st minute with a well-timed run into the penalty area as he left his jaded opponents behind him. His wide range of passing was extremely useful when lifting balls over the top of the home defence allowing for Dybala to breeze forwards. A vibrant presence in the center of midfield.
Mata Jajalo – 5.5 – OK
Struggled with the dynamic performance of Allan and was outmaneuvered on a number of occasions, however he did not play badly and kept his side ticking over.
Ivajlo Chochev – 6.5 – Easy
Sealed the victory for his team with a well placed header in the 66th minute and on the whole had a pretty comfortable afternoon in the centre of midfield.
Achraf Lazaar – 6.5 – Firecracker
Put his side ahead in the 15th minute with an absolutely superb strike. Picked up the ball well outside the penalty area and struck a left-footed drive that flew into the top right hand corner. Following his goal he fulfilled his duties and worked hard for the team.
Franco Vazquez – 6.5 – Well played
Did not display the sparkle of his attacking partner but his movement and hard-work still allowed for him to outclass his opponents and he often created good chances in the box.
Paulo Dybala – 7.5 – Sparkling
The Argentine starlet revelled in the shambolic nature of the Udinese defence, his pace and movement undoing the static defenders on every occasion. Should have gotten on the score-sheet just before half time when he struck the post however he was fantastic on the day and a constant thorn in the side of the Zebrette defence.
Substitutes
Francesco Bolzoni – 6 – Good
Came on in the 67th minute when his side were leading comfortably but worked well to maintain his side’s dominance.
Andrea Belotti – N/A
Enzo Maresca – N/A
