Lucca Subbed After Penalty
Image credits: Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images
Udinese's 1-0 victory over Lecce in Serie A on Friday night was marked by a dramatic incident involving Lorenzo Lucca, who scored a penalty kick but was immediately substituted by coach Kosta Runjaic. The decision to take Lucca off the pitch was made after he refused to let his teammates take the penalty, despite captain Florian Thauvin being the designated penalty taker.
The incident occurred when Udinese was awarded a penalty kick 30 minutes into the match, and Lucca took hold of the ball, refusing to let his teammates take it away from him. This led to a confrontation with several of his teammates, including Jaka Bijol and Oumar Solet, who tried to remove the ball from Lucca's grasp. Despite the tension, Lucca successfully converted the penalty kick, but was substituted by Runjaic just minutes later.
Runjaic explained that the decision to substitute Lucca was due to his disregard for the team's hierarchy and rules, stating that he doesn't like players who don't obey the rules. The coach also noted that arguments over set-pieces are common in football and that the tension will be resolved in training. The incident has sparked debate among fans, with some praising Lucca's confidence and others criticizing his decision to disregard the team's hierarchy.
The match ended with Udinese winning 1-0, thanks to Lucca's penalty kick, and the team is now unbeaten in its last four matches. The result lifted Udinese to within a point of ninth-placed Roma, while Lecce remained 15th, five points above the relegation zone. The incident has also raised questions about the team's dynamics and how the players will respond to Runjaic's decision.
The following are the match scores and player statistics:
- Match score: Udinese 1, Lecce 0
- Lucca's goals: 1
- Thauvin's penalty kicks: 0
- Udinese's unbeaten streak: 4 matches
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