Serie A | Udinese 1-2 Roma: Penalties end travel sickness | OneFootball

Roma completed the comeback to surprise Udinese on their own turf thanks to a pair of penalties converted by Lorenzo Pellegrini and Artem Dovbyk, sealing their first away win since April 2024.

The Giallorossi were revitalised in Serie A and unbeaten in five, but confidence was hit by Thursday’s Europa League loss at AZ Alkmaar. Bryan Cristante was still injured and Mario Hermoso pending a transfer, but Lorenzo Pellegrini returned and new signing Devyne Rensch thrown straight into the starting XI for his debut. The Friulani had Oumar Solet suspended following the 4-1 defeat to Como, with Keinan Davis, Maduka Okoye, Lautaro Giannetti and Kingsley Ehizibue injured.

See how it unfolded on the Liveblog.

That list of absentees got longer within five minutes, because Isak Touré was stretchered off after his knee seemed to buckle unnaturally.

Rensch made an immediate impact, his left-foot curler from the edge of the area palmed out of the bottom corner by Razvan Sava at full stretch. The goalkeeper then punched away the resulting corner before the collision with Manu Koné.

Niccolò Pisilli steered a free header wide from 11 yards on the Angelino cross from the left, but it was Udinese who broke the deadlock.

Sandi Lovric whipped a free kick into the box, which Lorenzo Lucca controlled with his chest to turn and smash a ferocious finish into the top corner from 10 yards.

UDINE, ITALY – JANUARY 26: Lorenzo Lucca of Udinese Calcio scores the opening goal during the Serie A match between Udinese and AS Roma at Stadio Friuli on January 26, 2025 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

Zeki Celik had to flick a Lucca cross away from the totally unmarked Florian Thauvin, while Artem Dovbyk was offside when volleying a Pisilli cross into the roof of the net.

Straight after the restart, Pellegrini flicked up the ball and it struck Christian Kabasele on the arm for a penalty, which the Roma captain converted straight down the middle.

Payero wasted a golden opportunity by hitting a weak finish straight at Svilar rather than setting up Thauvin, then Roma immediately countered to sting Sava’s gloves with Pellegrini from the edge of the area.

Roma received another penalty when Sava went to fingertip the Eldor Shomurodov cross-field pass off the feet of Stephan El Shaarawy, but didn’t quite get there in time. Dovbyk converted calmly into the near bottom corner to turn the game around.

Nicola Zalewski drilled just wide and Svilar scrambled to flap the dangerous Thauvin cross out of the six-yard box, but in stoppages a Paulo Dybala free kick caused havoc as Shomurodov and Gianluca Mancini failed to bundle over the line from five yards.

Udinese 1-2 Roma

Lucca 38 (U), Pellegrini pen 50 (R), Dovbyk pen 65 (R)