Udinese beats Venezia 3-2 and takes an important step towards safety.

Udinese beats Venezia 3-2 and takes a crucial step towards survival.

Udinese and Venezia face off at the Bluenergy Stadium in the 23rd round of Serie A, with both teams looking for their first win of 2025.

Andrea Sottil’s team, coming off a defeat to Roma, aims to bounce back, while Venezia, still deeply involved in the relegation battle, can no longer afford any slip-ups.

For Udinese, the main uncertainty is Alexis Sanchez, who may start on the bench, while Thauvin is not fully fit and could be substituted. Up front, Lucca will partner with Beto.

For Venezia, the doubt revolves around Pohjanpalo, who hopes to be in the starting lineup, while Oristanio and Ellertsson are ready to start.

OFFICIAL LINEUPS

Udinese (4-4-2): Sava; Kristensen, Bijol, Solet, Kamara; Thauvin, Lovric, Payero, Ekkelenkamp; Lucca, Sanchez.
Venezia (3-5-2): Stankovic; Schingtienne, Idzes, Candè; Zerbin, Doumbia, Nicolussi Caviglia, Busio, Haps; Oristanio, Yeboah.

The Udinese-Venezia match will be broadcast live exclusively on DAZN via its app, available on smart TVs, game consoles (Xbox and PlayStation), and devices such as TIMVISION Box, Google Chromecast, and Amazon Fire TV Stick.

The match will also be available on DAZN 1, Sky channel 214.

Udinese-Venezia: First Half Without Emotions, 0-0 at the Break

The first half between Udinese and Venezia ends in a 0-0 draw. A rather uneventful first 45 minutes, with both teams lacking precision and creativity in attack. The Bluenergy Stadium crowd witnessed a blocked match with several errors and missed chances.

The opening stages of the match were characterized by a slow, fragmented rhythm. Udinese tried to take control of the game, but without much precision: at the 33rd minute, Ekkelenkamp tried a long-range shot, but Joronen was able to deflect it over the bar. Later, in the 31st minute, Thauvin made a run down the right wing and delivered a cross, but it went nowhere.

Venezia responded primarily through Oristanio, but Di Francesco’s team also failed to create real threats. The best chance for Venezia came in the 36th minute, when Yeboah took a central shot off a nice pass from Oristanio, but Sava easily saved it.

Just before halftime, Lovric attempted a shot in the area, but his left-footed effort didn’t trouble Joronen. The match was briefly halted in the 18th minute due to Stankovic’s injury after a poor clearance, and Joronen replaced him in goal.

Thus, the first half ended without much excitement, with the scoreline reflecting the rather dull flow of the game. Both teams will need to improve in the second half to achieve the result they desperately need in this relegation battle.

Second Half

Udinese secures a crucial win for survival, beating Venezia 3-2 in an action-packed match full of twists. After a balanced first half, the second half lit up with a series of goals and changes.

Andrea Sottil’s team took the lead in the 47th minute, when Lucca took advantage of a mistake by Joronen to score the opening goal. Five minutes later, Lovric doubled the lead, capitalizing on another blunder by the goalkeeper. But Venezia didn’t give up: in the 64th minute, Nicolussi Caviglia scored a brilliant free kick to reduce the deficit, and in the 78th minute, Gytkjaer equalized, benefiting from a corner kick.

The match seemed destined to end in a draw, but in the 84th minute, Iker Bravo gave Udinese the win, scoring the 3-2 goal with a precise touch from Solet’s assist. The final moments were tense, with yellow cards and a shot from Venezia’s Yeboah, which went high over the bar in stoppage time.

With this win, Udinese takes three vital steps towards survival, while Venezia continues to fight to avoid relegation.

Ratings:

Udinese:

Sava 5.5; Solet 6; Bijol 6.5; Kristensen 6; Kamara 6.5; (64’ Zemura 5.5); Lovric 6.5; Payero 5.5; Ekkelenkamp 5.5; Lucca 6.5; Thauvin 6.5; Sanchez 5.5
Coach Runjaic 6

Venezia:

Stankovic 6 (18’ Joronen 4.5); Idzes 5.5; Schingtienne 5; Candè 5; Zerbin 5.5; Doumbia (61’ Kike Perez 5.5); Nicolussi Caviglia 6.5; Busio 5 (61’ Ellertson 5.5); Haps 5.5 (87’ Bjarkason -); Oristanio 5 (61’ Gytkjaer 7); Yeboah 5
Coach Di Francesco 6