Udinese secured a 3-2 victory against AC Monza in Serie A as Polish midfielder Jakub Piotrowski scored the opening goal.
Goals from Hassane Kamara and Juergen Ekkelenkamp gave the visiting side a two-goal lead before halftime, helping Udinese withstand a second-half revival from Monza.
Udinese Calcio has recently emerged as a key team for Polish football followers after adding former Lech Poznan goalkeeper Bartosz Mrozek to their squad. Head coach Kosta Runjaic, who previously managed in the Polish Ekstraklasa, selected Piotrowski alongside Jesper Karlstroem and Enzo Ebosse in his starting lineup, while Mrozek began on the bench.
Piotrowski justified his starting place in the 32nd minute after Keinan Davis played the ball out to the left flank. Ekkelenkamp saw his initial shot blocked before Kamara seized on the loose ball and set up Piotrowski, who brought the ball down cleanly, shifted it to his left foot and sent a confident finish past Monza goalkeeper Demba Thiam.
Monza responded five minutes later to equalize through Andrea Colpani. Former AC Milan striker Patrick Cutrone received a long pass and played the ball back to Ricardo Mangas, who spotted Colpani running in from the right side of the penalty area before the Italian midfielder calmly beat Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye.
Udinese Calcio, nicknamed Le Zebrette, compete in Italy's top-flight Serie A and play their matches in Udine. Monza, based in the Lombardy region, were hosting the fixture at home under manager Ivan Juric.
Udinese Take Control Before Halftime
Runjaic's team took control of the match following Monza's equalizer and documented their superiority in the 45th minute. Kamara collected a cleared ball following a corner kick roughly 40 meters from goal and tried his luck from distance, completely surprising Thiam as the Senegalese goalkeeper deflected the ball into his own net.
Udinese extended their lead in first-half stoppage time after Monza defenders failed to clear another ball from their penalty box. Ekkelenkamp ran onto the unowned ball and struck a first-time volley into the top corner, giving Thiam no chance and sending Udinese into halftime with a 3-1 lead.
Monza Pressure in Second Half
Monza pulled a goal back in the 63rd minute shortly after Piotrowski was substituted off. The Polish international was not entirely happy with Runjaic's decision to take him off the pitch, and Monza scored moments later when Ebenezer Akinsanmiro delivered a high-quality cross for Gustavo Varela to head into the corner of the net past Okoye.
Udinese invited trouble in the closing stages as Monza pushed for a 3-3 equalizer. Monza manager Juric brought on additional attacking substitutes to gamble for a point, and substitute Dany Mota whipped a dangerous ball into the five-yard box in the 86th minute, but Okoye reacted alertly to punch the threat away.
Udinese defended their lead through the final minutes to claim all three points. The victory leaves Udinese on four points from two Serie A matches, while Monza remain in the relegation zone with zero points.
