An acrobatic bicycle kick from Mateo Retegui and a Mattia Bani header powered Genoa to a convincing 2-0 victory over Udinese, despite a red card for the visitors late in the first half.
Coming off a 1-1 draw with Napoli, Genoa entered the match comfortably in mid-table, while Udinese remained just above the relegation zone despite a three-game unbeaten run.
The game started with a fast pace, with Lautaro Giannetti receiving a yellow card in the opening 18 seconds for a foul on Retegui. Lorenzo Lucca then nearly put Udinese ahead with a header that clipped the crossbar.
Both sides created opportunities throughout the first half, with Genoa forcing saves from Maduka Okoye through Johan Vasquez and Nehuen Perez. The deadlock was finally broken in spectacular fashion by Retegui, who executed a stunning bicycle kick to give the home side the lead.
Moments later, Mattia Bani doubled Genoa’s advantage with a header following a set-piece situation. Udinese’s hopes of a comeback were dealt a significant blow just after the restart when Thomas Kristensen was sent off for a second yellow card.
Despite being a man down, Udinese managed to create chances, with Okoye making crucial saves from Milan Badelj and Morten Frendrup. However, a late goal by Lorenzo Lucca was ruled out for a foul on Koni De Winter.
Genoa continued to threaten on the counter-attack but ultimately held on for a comfortable victory, securing all three points and strengthening their mid-table position.