Serie A wrap: Udinese return to the top

Late goals from Antonio Di Natale and Mauricio Isla handed Udinese top spot in Serie A with a 2-0 home win against Roma.

The hosts made a lively start and could have scored as early as in the ninth minute, but Simon Kjaer cleared the ball away from danger just as Di Natale was about to put the finishing touch on Giampiero Pinzi’s low cross from the right.

Shortly after, Udinese coach Francesco Guidolin saw his plans take a considerable blow as an injured Maurizio Domizzi had to make way for Damiano Ferronetti.

The hosts remained in the driver’s seat, however, and almost broke the deadlock in the 44th minute but Di Natale blasted a shot high and wide with only the ‘keeper to beat.

In the second half, Roma came out strongly and Pablo Osvaldo almost gave his side the lead in the 61st minute. The striker received the ball on the edge of the box and moved past Mehdi Benatia as he cut inside, but his shot went high.

Roma goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg was put to the test three minutes later, blocking Dusan Basta’s close-range shot after a scramble in the box.

It took Udinese until the 79th minute to beat Stekelenburg, when Pinzi picked out Di Natale with a long ball and the striker dodged the challenge of Kjaer to volley the ball home.

Roma surged forward in search of an equaliser, but it would be Udinese to score again on the counter, with Pablo Armero picking up the ball just outside the box and passing across the face of the goal for Isla to side-foot home.

With the result, Udinese moved two points clear of Juventus and Lazio in the Serie A standings, with those two teams clashing at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico on Saturday.