Serie A

Football Italia

·24 February 2024

Serie A | Genoa 2-0 Udinese: Retegui bicycle kick inspires

An acrobatic Mateo Retegui bicycle kick and Mattia Bani header allowed Genoa to sweep Udinese aside, even before the Thomas Kristensen red card.

The Grifone were comfortably mid-table and fresh from a 1-1 draw away to Napoli, with only Alan Matturro on the treatment table for the rest of the season. The Friulani were still hovering just above the relegation zone, despite a three-game unbeaten streak including victory over Juventus. Roberto Pereyra, Jaka Bijol, Enzo Ebosse and Gerard Deulofeu were still out of action.

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Lautaro Giannetti scythed down Retegui for a yellow card in the opening 18 seconds, but Lorenzo Lucca created the first big opportunity when he jumped above the crowd for a header that looped onto the top of the crossbar.

Moments later, Mateo Retegui knocked down a cross at the back post for Johan Vasquez, who forced a stunning reaction save out of Maduka Okoye from six yards.

Nehuen Perez was decisive to prevent the Junior Messias free kick going into the top corner, as Okoye was nowhere near it.

Vasquez had another big opportunity for Genoa with his free header from a corner that thumped the near post on 32 minutes.

The deadlock was finally broken in style, as the cross from the left was deflected up by Giannetti, so Retegui improvised with a spectacular bicycle kick to give Genoa the lead.

Moments later it was 2-0, as a set play was not cleared effectively, so Albert Gudmundsson stood a ball up into the six-yard box for the Mattia Bani header.

Kristensen received his second yellow card for tripping Messias just outside the penalty area straight after the restart, reducing Udinese to 10 men.

Okoye flew to fingertip the Milan Badelj volley out from under the bar, then saw a Morten Frendrup curler skim the far post, but Gudmundsson scuffed the finish on a Retegui assist.

Udinese had managed to get the ball into the net when a ball was rolled across from the left and Lucca slid in behind Koni De Winter, managing to prod it in from six yards. However, the referee considered this a foul on De Winter and VAR agreed.

Another Gudmundsson curler skimmed the upright, as Genoa repeatedly threatened to increase their lead.