Udinese bounced back from their midweek defeat to Juventus with a hard-earned 1-0 win over top four hopefuls Atalanta as match-day 10 action commenced in the 2025-26 Italian Serie A season.
Italy forward Nicolo Zaniolo, on loan from Turkish champions Galatasaray, netted the only goal of the encounter in the first half to seal the victory for Udinese at the Bluenergy Stadium.
It marked a second win in three games for the home side, while the visitors suffered their first league defeat of the season and remained without a victory in six matches in all competitions.
Okoye shines as Udinese secures victory
The major talking point before the game started was the omission of Nigerian superstar Ademola Lookman from the starting lineup.
The reigning African footballer of the year winner had scored his first goal of the season in midweek, but was dropped from the starting team against Udinese.
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The game started at a slow pace with both teams struggling to create much opportunities, with the home side having the better chances to score early on.
Atalanta thought they had taken the lead through Kamaldeen Sulemana, although the goal was ruled out for an offside in the buildup.
The home side then converted one of their chances, as on-loan forward Nicolo Zaniolo continued his scoring streak with a third goal from his last four games.
Marco Carnesecchi then denied them another goal, producing a brilliant save to keep the scores at 1-0 at the break.
Lookman entered the fray in the second half and despite his side having majority of the possession, they were not able to get past Maduka Okoye in the Udinese’s goal, who produced a late save to protect his clean sheet.
Atalanta unbeaten run ends
Atalanta were the only unbeaten side in the league heading into the weekend, although they had recorded draws in seven of their nine league matches.
La Dea suffered a shock defeat and dropped to 10th on the standings, while Udinese moved up to eighth on the Serie A standings with 15 points.
Even the introduction of Ademola Lookman could not save them, as they fell to a first league defeat of the season.
Players Ratings:
Udinese Players Ratings
- Okoye – 7.1
- Bertola – 8.0
- Kabasele – 7.0
- Solet – 7.9
- Zanoli – 6.6
- Ekkelenkamp – 6.7
- Karlstrom – 7.4
- Atta – 7.1
- Kamara – 8.2
- Zaniolo – 8.0
- Buksa – 6.8
Substitutes
- Piotrowski – 6.5
- Bayo – 6.0
- Palma – 6.3
- Ehizibue – 6.4
Atalanta Players Ratings
- Carnesecchi – 6.6
- Djimsiti – 6.6
- Hien – 7.3
- Kossounou – 6.7
- Zalewski – 7.1
- Pasalic – 6.7
- Ederson – 6.1
- Zappacosta – 7.2
- Sulemana – 5.8
- Samardzic – 6.2
- Scamacca – 5.8
Substitutes
- Lookman – 5.7
- Krstovic – 5.9
- Bellanova – 6.1
- De Ketelaere – 6.0
Man of the Match
Nicolo Zaniolo – (8.0/10) – The Italian forward netted his third goal in four matches with another brilliant strike to give his side the victory. He was also a handful for the Atalanta defense throughout the game and proved too much to handle until his substitution.
Key Stats
Ball Possession: Udinese 40% – 60% Atalanta
Total Shots: Udinese 12 – 5 Atalanta
Shots on target: Udinese 5-0 Atalanta
Pass Accuracy: Udinese 84% – 88% Atalanta
Corner kicks: Udinese 5-4 Atalanta
What Next?
Atalanta look to bounce back from their defeat and secure a first win in seven matches when they face French side Olympique Marseille in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. After that, La Dea host Sassuolo in the Serie A next weekend.
Udinese on the other hand, are next in action against AS Roma in the Italian Serie A next weekend.
