Geona-Udinese: video highlights and highlights of the Saturday evening match on February 24, 2024 in Serie A, with moviola episodes and report cards.
Saturday night’s match valid for the 26th day of the Serie A championship pits Gilardino’s Genoa against Cioffi’s Udinese. The Rossoblù are now a long way from the relegation zone, and if they keep up this pace they could even aim for a place in the Europa League. Genoa have lost only one of their last 10 league games (3 wins, 6 draws), and with one win they could set a record for points for a newly promoted team after 26 days.
For the Friulians, the situation is much more complex: the Bianconeri are only three points behind the penultimate place. Gilardino is only missing Matturro (still out with knee surgery) and Ankeye, who is continuing his recovery.
The Ligurian coach can count on some men in great form such as De Winter and Gudmundsson. Before the match, Retegui is not 100 percent but still appears to be recovering, and the coach deploys him from the 1′. In Udinese, Deulofeu is again unavailable. Ebosse, Bijol, Pereyra are also missing. Recovered in extremis Kamara. Cioffi relies on Lucca and Thauvin in attack.
Highlights of the challenge
The Ligurians attacked immediately but suffered Udinese’s pressure and restarts in the first minutes. In 5′, Lovric serves Ehizibue, and the midfielder’s conclusion is deflected into a corner. A few minutes later, the Bianconeri conclude a nice counterattack with Thauvin launching Walace: the Brazilian shoots with first intention but Martinez parries. On 25′, Lucca takes the crossbar with a header. Two minutes later Okoye saves on Vazqzuez. Genoa begins to push and put many crosses in the center.
Again Vazquez on 33′ finds the post with a header after a corner taken by Martin. In the next action, the home team finds the lead with Retegui: deflected cross, the ball goes up, and the Italo-Argentine tries a complicated bicycle kick that surprises Okoye.
In the 40′ came Genoa’s double with Mattia Bani: Gudmundsson got free and served the defender who, with a header, made it 2-0. At the end of the first half again Gudmundsson tries to put in the net the knockout blow, but he is closed well by Giannetti.
At the beginning of the second half Udinese is immediately left with 10 players due to the expulsion of Kristensen. At 60′ Badelj tries to surprise Okoye: the Bianconeri goalkeeper closes him over the crossbar with a great instinctive intervention. Soon after, Frendrup lets off a nice shot from the limit: the ball goes just wide. At 70′, Retegui and Gudmundsson talk well inside the area: the Icelander tries a shot that ends up on the bottom. Three minutes later cancelled the 2-1 goal for Udinese (Lucca). In the 83rd minute Udinese’s goalkeeper is providential on the shot-cross of newcomer Ekuban. In the recovery Gudmundsson grazes the post.
Table and report cards of Genoa-Udinese
GENOA (3-5-2): Martinez; De Winter, Bani, Vasquez (54′, Vogliocco); Sabelli (78′, Spence), Messias (78′, Ekuban), Badelj (86′, Strootman), Frendrup, Martin; Gudmundsson, Retegui (78′, Malinovskyi). All. Gilardino.
UDINESE (3-5-2): Okoye; Perez, Giannetti, Kristensen; Ehizibue (46′, Ebosele), Samardzic (54′, Ferreira), Walace, Lovric (86′, Zarraga), Zemura (54′, Kamara); Thauvin (78′, Davis), Lucca. All. Cioffi.
REFEREE: Francesco Fourneau of the Rome 1 section.
MARKERS: 35′, Retegui; 40′, Bani
NOTE: Cautions: 1′, Giannetti; 30′, De Winter; 41′, 46′, Kristensen; 87′, Ebosele. Ejected: 46′, Kristensen. Recovered: 5′
The best player on the field in Genoa-Udinese was Retegui, author of a golazo that not only changed the game but will also remain in the history of the Rossoblù club for beauty and precision; in addition to the goal, the guy fights on all the balls and goes forward like a panzer (7.5). In Udinese the most positive is Okoye, who saves at least two goals and can do nothing on Genoa’s goals (6.5). Samardzic never really gets into the game (5.5).
Kristiansen does not do badly in marking, but he gets himself sent off early in the second half, misleading his team for his second late intervention (5). Lucca tries hard in attack despite being underserved (6). Good performance by De Winter on defense (7). Kamara is the liveliest in Udinese (6.5). Again an excellent match for Gudmundsson (7). Heyzibue disappoints in almost all choices and for poor effort (5).
Moviola and highlights of the race
The referee ejects Kristensen early in the second half. Intervention on Messias at the edge of the area is clear and the second yellow leading to the expulsion is there. Doubts about Lucca’s goal canceled at 73′: according to referee Fourneau, the striker fouls by landing De Winter at slip in an attempt to beat him to the net. VAR check confirming the on-field decision, but the impression is that Lucca goes more on the ball than on the foot.
