Guidolin: True Udinese shone through

Udinese coach Francesco Guidolin admitted Atletico Madrid were the better team for large portions of his side’s 2-0 victory in the Europa League.

The Spanish capital club dominated proceedings for most of the match, but their lack of finishing in front of goal proved costly, as two quick-fire strikes from Udinese in the late stages of the matches gave the Serie A side the victory.

After the game, Guidolin conceded that Atletico were superior in the first half, but noted his team came out strongly after the break.

“We had an ugly first half,” the coach is quoted by AS as saying. “Atletico were better, whether because of our shyness or the changes we made, we were not playing well.”

“But in the second half, we showed the true Udinese. In the last five minutes, we got two goals which gave us the victory.”

Striker Floro Flores scored the sealer in the 90th minute, making up for a shocking miss in the opening miuntes.

“I am very happy for him, as I consider Floro Flores to be one of the best strikers I have ever trained,” Guidolin said.

Udinese are leading Group I, with seven points from three games, followed by Atletico Madrid, on four points.

“It is a very difficult group and I don’t know how many more points we need to qualify, but the objective is to reach the knockouts. Besides, there is still the question mark around Sion.”