Udinese powered past a depleted Torino side with a commanding 2-0 victory at the Stadio Friuli, keeping their top-10 Serie A ambitions firmly on track. Kingsley Ehizibue and Thomas Kristensen found the net for the Friulani, who showed no mercy against their struggling opponents.
The hosts entered the match with a lengthy injury list that included Keinan Davis, Jesper Karlstrom, Jordan Zemura, Alessandro Zanoli, and Nicolò Bertola—a hangover from their thrilling 3-3 draw with Lazio. Torino's situation was even more dire, missing key players like Duvan Zapata, Che Adams, Marcus Pedersen, Tino Anjorin, Zakaria Aboukhlal, and Ardian Ismajli after their own dramatic 2-2 comeback against league leaders Inter.
Before kick-off, Udinese honored the 50th anniversary of the devastating earthquake that killed over 1,000 people in the Friuli region, wearing special commemorative jerseys. A minute's silence was also observed across all Serie A matches this weekend for Alex Zanardi, the Formula 1 and Paralympic legend who recently passed away.
The early action saw Giovanni Simeone denied from point-blank range by goalkeeper Maduka Okoye after meeting Valentino Lazaro's cross, while Gvidas Gineitis wasted a corner kick opportunity. Udinese's first real chance came when Christian Kabasele's free-kick finish was deflected wide.
The hosts thought they had broken the deadlock in chaotic fashion. Adam Buksa dispossessed Gineitis, then saw his shot—after Nicolò Zaniolo was blocked by Alberto Paleari—crash off the upright of an open goal. Zaniolo tapped in the rebound, but the goal was ruled out for offside. The frustration was evident as Zaniolo interacted with referee Giuseppe Mucera before the call was confirmed.
Zaniolo remained dangerous, running onto a through ball and cutting inside, only for his strike to deflect off Saul Coco and prevent a certain goal. Oumar Solet's glancing header was then smothered by the Torino defense.
Udinese finally broke through in first-half stoppage time, and it was far from a clean move. Coco's mistake on a throw-in allowed Solet to rob the ball, which was then rolled across from the left by Jurgen Ekkelenkamp. Rafa Obrador's risky defending proved costly as Ehizibue and Kristensen combined to seal the win before the break.
The victory keeps Udinese in the hunt for a top-half finish, while Torino's injury woes continue to deepen their slump.