Serie A | Udinese 3-0 Empoli: Ekkelenkamp rules

Originally posted on Football Italia | By Susy Campanale | Last updated Feb 16, 2025 10:55 AM ET

Jurgen Ekkelenkamp was twice in the right place at the right time before a Florian Thauvin header sealed Udinese’s 3-0 win over wasteful Empoli.

The Friulani were fresh off an impressive 1-1 draw away to Napoli, but missed Keinan Davis, Isaak Touré and Maduka Okoye. Empoli, on the other hand, were sliding down into the danger zone after just two points in the last nine rounds. Luca Marianucci started a two-match ban, with Tino Anjorin, Ardian Ismajli, Mattia Viti, Jacopo Fazzini, Ola Solbakken, Nicolas Haas, Pietro Pellegri and Saba Sazonov injured.

See how it unfolded on the Liveblog.

Lorenzo Lucca’s acrobatic scissor-kick volley was off target in the opening minutes from an Arthur Atta pull-back, while Lorenzo Colombo had two attempts charged down and Emmanuel Gyasi’s angled drive was well smothered.

Christian Kouame should’ve done better when drilling wide on a Liam Henderson counter-attack, while Marco Silvestri made a splendid save against his former club on the Sandi Lovric curler.

Udinese took the lead on the resulting corner, as Jurgen Ekkelenkamp at full stretch redirected the wayward Atta effort into the bottom corner.

It remained surprisingly open, Kouame sliding in to push the Giuseppe Pezzella assist into the arms of the goalkeeper, then firing wide from a very promising position on another Henderson assist.

Straight after the restart, Florian Thauvin ran onto a through ball, but lost his balance under pressure and couldn’t finish the move.

Moments later, Atta pulled back from the by-line and a desperate Mattia De Sciglio block prevented the Thauvin tap-in.

Empoli also wasted a golden opportunity to equalise, Youssouf Maleh incredibly failing to nod in a Kouame cross from point-blank range on a corner.

Lucca clipped the outside of the upright from six yards after a deflected pull-back, while at the other end Razvan Sava needed a double reaction save on Colombo’s angled drive and the Gyasi follow-up.

Udinese doubled their lead when Lucca’s strike was only parried into the path of Ekkelenkamp for his second of the game.

Thauvin finally got his goal in the last minute of normal time, sneaking between the centre-backs to nod in the Martin Payero cross whipped in from the right.

Thauvin could’ve had a brace too in stoppages, denied by Silvestri from a tricky angle.

Udinese 3-0 Empoli

Ekkelenkamp 19, 65 (U), Thauvin 90 (U)

16-02-2025 14:00 MatchDay 25 Friuli Stadium (Dacia Arena)

Udinese

Empoli 3 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

Jurgen Ekkelenkamp (Assist: Arthur Atta)

19'

2nd half

Jurgen Ekkelenkamp		65'
Florian Thauvin (Assist: Martín Payero)

90' Udinese Empoli

Starting lineups

90 Răzvan Sava Goalkeeper 11

Hassane Kamara Defender 29

Jaka Bijol Defender 19

Kingsley Ehizibue Defender 74' 28

Oumar Solet Defender 14 Arthur Atta Midfielder 64' 25

Jesper Karlström Midfielder 32

Jurgen Ekkelenkamp Midfielder 74' 8

Sandi Lovric Midfielder 81' 10

Florian Thauvin Attacker 17 Lorenzo Lucca Attacker 81' 1

Marco Silvestri Goalkeeper 3

Giuseppe Pezzella Defender 13 Liberato Cacace Defender 85' 22

Mattia De Sciglio Defender 2 Saba Goglichidze Defender 5

Alberto Grassi Midfielder 6

Liam Henderson Midfielder 85' 93 Youssef Maleh Midfielder 75' 18

Christian Kouamé Attacker 11 Emmanuel Gyasi Attacker 75' 29 Lorenzo Colombo Attacker

62'

Substitutes

Daniele Padelli Goalkeeper 66 Edoardo Piana Goalkeeper 33 Jordan Zemura Defender 27

Christian Kabasele Defender 6 Oier Zarraga Midfielder 31 Thomas Kristensen Defender 30 Lautaro Giannetti Defender 5 Martín Payero Midfielder 64' 7

Alexis Sánchez Attacker 74' 77 Rui Modesto Midfielder 74' 21 Iker Bravo Attacker 81' 20 Simone Pafundi Midfielder 81' 12 Jacopo Seghetti Goalkeeper 23

Devis Vásquez Goalkeeper 31 Lorenzo Tosto Defender 37 Dawid Bembnista Defender 99 Sebastiano Esposito Attacker 62' 27

Szymon Zurkowski Midfielder 75' 7

Junior Sambia Defender 75'

Viktor Kovalenko Midfielder 85' 90

Ismael Konate Attacker

85'

This article first appeared on Football Italia and was syndicated with permission.

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