Udinese restore some pride

Udinese restored a little pride to their stuttering season with a 4-1 win over Cagliari.

Udinese restored a little pride to their stuttering season with a 4-1win over Cagliari. Already out of the Europa League and starting the weekend in the bottom half of the Serie A standings, there has been little to cheer for fans at the Stadio Friuli of late, but they lifted the mood at the expense of a Cagliari side who crumbled all too easily. It took until the 33rd minute for Roberto Pereyra to break the deadlock, but Gabriele Angella added a second six minutes later and, only three minutes into the second half, Danilo made it 3-0. Giovanni Pasquale got the fourth just after the hour mark, rendering Daniele Dessena's 81st-minute header little more than a consolation. Udinese were good value for their win as they dominated from the start. Vlada Avramov was called on to deny Antonio Di Natale twice in the early stages, using his feet to divert a shot away from the corner in the 17th minute. Di Natale danced through the defence to create himself another chance in the 25th minute but after doing the hard work, he sent a tame shot straight at the goalkeeper. Pereyra left Avramov with no chance, however, when he seized on a loose ball and fired into the top left-hand corner of the goal. The Cagliari defence was entirely to blame for the second goal as they squandered numerous chances to clear before Angella prodded home from close range. Whatever Cagliari boss Ivo Pulga said to his players to try and get them back into the match at half-time, his words were rendered meaningless just three minutes after the re-start when Di Natale crossed for Danilo to head home. It turned into a rout when Diego Fabbrini led a swift counter-attack in the 64th minute, squaring the ball for Pasquale to score unchallenged. Emmanuel Badu might have had a fifth in the 73rd minute but Avramov parried his initial shot and then watched with relief as the rebound went wide. Cagliari got a little joy nine minutes from time when Albin Ekbal crossed from the right and Dessena sent a powerful header into the net. But Udinese finished as they started, with Di Natale only inches away from the target with another good effort.