On 14 January, one of the matches of the 20th round of the Italian football championship took place. Fiorentina (Florence) and Udinese (Italy) met.
Italian Championship, 20th round
Fiorentina (Florence) - Udinese (Italy) - 2:2 (0:1)
Goals: L. Beltran (56), M'Bala Nzola (87) - Lovric (10), F. Thauvin (73)
Warnings: H. Kamara (35), L. Ranieri (62)
The Serie A match between Fiorentina and Udinese at the Stadio Artemio Franchi ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw. The game showcased moments of skill, excitement and drama, keeping the fans in suspense from start to finish. Udinese started the game brightly when in the 10th minute S. Lovric scored a well-executed goal, giving his team an early lead. Fiorentina tried to respond, but seemed unable to break through the Udinese defence. As the first half progressed, the tension grew and in the 35th minute, Udinese's J. Camara received a yellow card. Despite Fiorentina's attempts to equalise, they had to settle for a 0-1 deficit at half-time. At the start of the second half Fiorentina made two substitutions, trying to turn the tide of the game. M. Kayode replaced D. Faraoni and A. Duncan replaced Artur Melo. The changes seemed to have the desired effect, as Fiorentina equalised on 56 minutes through L. Beltran. To regain control of the situation, Udinese made three quick substitutions in the 58th minute.
L. Samardzic replaced F. Thauvin, L. Lucca came on in place of I. Success, and F. Ebosele replaced C. Ehizibue. Both teams fought hard for the advantage, resulting in a yellow card for Fiorentina's L. Ranieri in the 62nd minute. In the 73rd minute, Udinese scored a second goal as F. Tauvin put his team ahead once again. Fiorentina were now faced with the need to win back. In response, on 76 minutes J. Brekalo replaced M. Nzola. The substitution bore fruit when a penalty was awarded to Fiorentina in the 87th minute. M. Nzola stepped forward and confidently converted the penalty, levelling the score again. With only a few minutes remaining, both teams rushed to get back into the game. On 88 minutes, Fiorentina made two late substitutions: L. Ranieri replaced N. Milenkovic and J. Ikone replaced A. Baraka. Udinese also made a fourth substitution, bringing on A. Tikvic instead of H. Camara. However, neither team was able to get the winning goal, and the match ended in a very interesting 2-2 draw. The game demonstrated the competitive spirit and skill that Serie A is famous for. Both Fiorentina and Udinese showed their strength. Despite the draw, the fans were treated to an incredible spectacle at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
The following matches await the rivals in the next round: Bologna vs Fiorentina and Udinese vs Milan.
| Fiorentina | Udinese | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Kicks to the goal | 6 |
| 9 | Kicks | 12 |
| 1 | Blocked shots | 1 |
| 5 | Penalty kicks | 8 |
| 4 | Penalty kicks | 4 |
| 14 | Offences | 13 |
| 4 | Corner | 4 |
| 1 | Offsides | 1 |
| 70% | Ball possession | 30% |
| 1 | Yellow cards | 1 |
| 0 | Red cards | 0 |
| 4 | Keeper saves | 1 |
| 526 | Total assists | 227 |
| 455 | Accurate assists | 167 |
| 87% | Accuracy of passes | 74% |