Roma Rout Udinese 5-2 in Wild Friuli Affair as Cristante, Malen and Ndicka Run Riot
SportSignals Match Desk · Football analysis desk ·
Let me tell you what happened here. Roma went to Friuli, scored five goals, and walked away with three points. Udinese had 54 percent possession, 14 shots, and two goals. That is the story. Everything else is just detail.
The First Half Was an Embarrassment for Udinese
Udinese going into this had one draw and four losses in their previous five Serie A matches. One goal scored in that run. One. So when they went in front through Bryan Cristante's header on ten minutes, you might have thought that was the spark they needed. It was not.
Roma responded with three goals in six minutes. Rodrigo Mora made it level on 31, converting from a Cristante assist. Donyell Malen added a third on 33, set up by Matías Soulé. Then Evan Ndicka, a centre-back, put a header past the Udinese goalkeeper on 37, again from a Soulé delivery. Three goals in six minutes. In the first half. Against a side that had already scored. That is not bad luck. That is a defensive unit with no accountability whatsoever.
The thing is, Udinese created chances. They had seven big chances created over the course of the match. They missed three of what the stats call big chances. They hit the woodwork twice. On another day, with any conviction in front of goal, this scoreline looks different. But this is not another day. This is the day that happened. And Udinese could not take their moments when they came.
Udinese's Defensive Standards Were Unacceptable
Coming into this match, Udinese had conceded eight goals in five Serie A outings. Their form string read DLLLL. You do not need me to explain what that means. You just need to watch how Soulé was allowed to operate in that first half and you will understand everything.
Soulé picked up two assists before he was substituted off in the 79th minute. He was at the heart of everything that hurt Udinese. Roma's players moved with intent and purpose. Udinese's defensive shape had the organisation of a Sunday morning warm-up. Letting a centre-back score a header from a set piece when you are already 2-1 down is not a tactical problem. It is a desire problem. End of.
Lennon Miller picked up a yellow card on 23 minutes for a foul, and Bryan Cristante, who scored Roma's opener, received his own booking on 60 minutes. Neither moment changed the rhythm of the game. By that point, Roma were already 4-0 up and the contest was finished.
Roma Were Clinical When It Counted
Listen, Roma came into this with two wins and three draws from their previous five Serie A matches. Unbeaten. Scoring freely, including a 4-2 win over Cagliari and a 3-3 draw at Napoli. They had goals in them. Udinese had a leaky defence. You do not need a laptop to work out what was going to happen.
Roma had 15 total shots to Udinese's 14. On pure volume, it was close enough. But Roma's efficiency was the difference. Seven shots on target, five goals. Udinese had nine shots on target and two goals. One of those Udinese goals came in the 90th minute through Daniele Ghilardi, by which point Roma had already made five substitutions and were managing the final stages with their reserves on the pitch.
Nicolò Zaniolo added Roma's second on 50 minutes before being replaced by Jakub Piotrowski on 67. Matteo Palma rounded off the scoring on 78, assisted by Hassane Kamara, to put the final gloss on a dominant Roma display. Udinese's Ghilardi goal at 90+2 was nothing more than a consolation that flatters a shapeless performance.
The Bigger Picture for Both Clubs
Roma are carrying five injury absences according to the data, including one major injury not expected back until November and one moderate injury with a return date in January. That they came here and won 5-2 with that backdrop says something about the depth they have in this squad. Or it says something about how poor Udinese currently are. Probably both.
For Udinese, this result is the continuation of a collapse in form that shows no sign of stopping. One goal in their five previous matches before today. Now five conceded in a single afternoon at home. The basics are not there. The defensive basics, the competitive basics, the desire to stop a set piece goal when you are already level and the game is there to be won.
Udinese's manager will point to the woodwork. To the big chances missed. To the fact that they had more possession and more shots inside the box than Roma did. The thing is, none of that matters if your defenders cannot hold a shape and your attackers cannot score when they have to. Udinese's goals for column across their last five Serie A matches read 1. Today they scored 2. Their season is not getting better. It is getting worse.
Verdict
Roma were ruthless in a first half that Udinese will want to forget immediately. The scoreline tells you everything. Cristante opened it, Mora, Malen and Ndicka buried it, and Zaniolo and Palma finished the job after the break. Udinese had the ball and had their moments, but moments do not win matches. Goals do. Roma scored five. Udinese scored two. That is the only number that counts in this business. End of.