Even though it was only Ascoli, Udinese put on a decent outing in the first round of Coppa Italia. Despite the departures of star player Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid) and goalkeeper Juan Musso (Atalanta), Luca Gotti still possesses some talented players in his squad.
The man who led the Fruilani’s march was none other that Roberto Pereyra, who represented Juventus between 2014 and 2016. The Argentine went on to play for Watford in the Premier League before sealing a return to Udine last season.
Following De Paul’s exit, Pereyra will be charged with more responsibilities, and he put on a brilliant performances in the first official match of the season – scoring a personal brace (including a spectacular second goal) and providing the assist for Nahuel Molina’s thunderous effort.
The match ended in a comfortable 3-1 win for Udinese, and their new goalkeeper, Marco Silvestri, believes that the club is ready for their opening Serie A fixture against Juventus next weekend.
“I am very happy with the victory, I felt very comfortable with my new teammates and therefore I would say that I am satisfied,” said the former Verona shot-stopper in post-match interview with Udinese TV via JuveNews.
“Having an audience is wonderful even if the number of the supporters is still low. But in any case, it was great to have them close and to hear their support.
“Tonight we showed that we are having a good moment, we played against a well-organized team with good players who did an excellent job.
“It wasn’t easy but we had a good match and I think we are ready for the clash against Juventus. It certainly won’t be easy to play against a team like the Bianconeri but a match like tonight’s is good for the morale.” concluded Silvestri.