Thursday 31 October 2013 09:08, UK
Udinese ended their dismal run on the road this season with a 2-1 triumph against 10-man Sassuolo on Wednesday evening.
Udinese ended their dismal run on the road this season with a 2-1 triumph against 10-man Sassuolo on Wednesday evening. Antonio Di Natale put the visitors ahead in the 18th minute from the penalty spot before Simone Zaza pulled Sassuolo level before the half-hour mark. Luis Muriel scored the winner in the 56th minute. Sassuolo's hopes of snatching a point were hindered as they were forced to play the final 10 minutes of the game with 10 men after Zaza was shown a straight red following a foul on Udinese's Gabriel Silva. The outcome, Udinese's fourth win of the campaign, lifted the Friuli outfit to eighth place while Sassuolo remain in the relegation zone. Udinese went into the match at the Citta del Tricolore stadium having lost all four games away from home this term. The visitors dominated possession and it was not long before they went in front. Dusan Basta wriggled his way free in the Sassuolo area but was pulled back by Reto Ziegler, leaving the referee with no option but to point to the spot. Di Natale stepped up to take the penalty and beat Sassuolo goalkeeper Gianluca Pegolo with a shot into the corner. Sassuolo reacted and equalised in the 25th minute when a fast break saw Zaza slot home a cross from Luca Antei. Udinese came close to going in front before half-time, but Andrea Lazzari's volley went just wide of the far post. The visitors kept the pressure on after the restart and retook the lead when Roberto Pereyra fed Muriel in the box and his shot towards the far post beat Pegolo. Pegolo then kept out Basta's goalbound shot from outside the area. The hosts came close to equalising in the 75th minute when Francesco Acerbi fed Zaza in the area and his shot was met by a fine save from Udinese goalkeeper Zeljko Brkic. Brkic was called again to clear Ziegler's powerful strike from the heart of the area as Udinese held on for victory, with Zaza's dismissal helping their cause.