Penalty chaos: Udinese striker Lorenzo Lucca subbed off for defying team orders despite scoring spot-kick
Updated 21/02/2025 at 23:36 GMT
There were utterly bizarre scenes in the Serie A match between Lecce and Udinese on Friday night, with the away side awarded a penalty in the first half. But while any controversy would normally be due to the foul that resulted in the spot kick being awarded, this time all the arguments stemmed over who would take the penalty - with the referee forced to intervene.
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Lorenzo Lucca scored a penalty for Udinese on Friday night as they played Lecce, but what would normally be cause for celebrations instead was greeted by a stony silence.Â
The bizarre scenes unfolded when Udinese were awarded a spot kick after half an hour of play.Â
Lucca initially had the ball tucked under his arm as he marched towards the spot. But he was swarmed by his team-mates, with some angry scenes unfolding.Â
It appeared that captain Florian Thauvin wanted to take the kick - but Lucca was having none of it. Thauvin began to gesture desperately towards the touchline as Lucca held onto the ball, with more Udinese players piling in.
The referee intervened, sending some bemused Lecce players away before blowing his whistle - only to find four Udinese players still hovering around the spot, with Lucca trying several times to put the ball down only to be prevented by his team-mates.
Manager Kosta Runjaic was pacing the touchline, looking as frustrated with the situation as the fans in the stands.
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Lorenzo Lucca substituted off the pitch after penalty fiasco.
Image credit: Getty Images
Eventually, after one yellow card, the referee was able to restore order.
Lucca duly converted from the spot with a surprisingly calmly taken penalty with the goalkeeper guessing the wrong way.
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But no team-mates joined in with his celebrations, and he found himself immediately substituted by the manager in the 36th minute in a bizarre ending to a strange situation.Â
The penalty turned out to be the winning goal as Udinese held on to record an important victory.
The result sees Udinese stay in 10th position in the league with Lecce in 15th spot and still five points above the relegation zone.
However, this match will now be remembered for a randomly bad-tempered penalty, and a 24-year-old Italian who might not find he has too many friends in the changing room for the next few weeks.
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