Udinese v Atalanta: the brainteaser

After kicking off 2025 with the Italian Super Cup, it is time to turn our focus back to the Serie A! The Nerazzurri are set to visit the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine to embark on a jam-packed schedule that will last until mid-February. First up, Atalanta will face Udinese on Saturday 11 for the Serie A Enilive MD20, before officially wrapping up the first half of the season with another big clash, this time at home, against another Bianconeri side, Juventus, in the MD19 rescheduling on Tuesday the 14th. But let’s take it one step at a time and focus on the first Bianconeri on the list: the Furlans! As always, here’s our pre-match quiz to get you ready for the upcoming showdown.

Muriel's first Atalanta goal in Udine came…

With 11 goals scored in 10 appearances in the Nerazzurri shirt against his former team (plus the net during his Sampdoria days), Muriel is the all-time top scorer of the matchup, both home and away (with the partials registering 5 and 6 goals, respectively), leaving his closest rivals, Antonio Di Natale and Rasmussen, trailing far behind with 9 and 6 goals.

Over the years, the Colombian has consistently dealt the infamous "ex's law card" with panache and glair galore, to the point of converting the Furlan Bianconeri into his favourite Serie A target. Coming to the crunch though, how did Muriel first etched his name on the visiting side of the scoreboard in Udine?

While his last goal at the then Dacia Arena came from the penalty spot, namely scored in the 2-2 draw of the 2022/23 Serie A MD9 (where Lucho won and converted the penalty to give the visitors a temporary 0-2 lead); Muriel has never bagged a header against Udinese (either home or away). That leaves 5 goals up for debate: 3 from open play (2 with his right foot and 1 with his left), that ranged daisy-cutter scorcher (again a right-footer) in the 2-3 win back in the 2019/20 campaign and... THAT Free-kick, a physics-defying strike, to cleave the ball into the top corner of the Friulian net in the 71st minute of the aforementioned match, which saw “Hurricane Lucho” blow through Udine to complete the Bergamaschi’s comeback with a jaw-dropping brace in just 8 minutes in pure Murielesque fashion.

2000/01 Serie A, Udinese 2-4 Atalanta: Who scores first, Ventola or Morfeo?

In addition to ranking as the second-highest-scoring encounter to date with 6 goals in total (5 of which came in the first half), only outdone by the 2-6 result of the 2021/22 season, the first Serie A matchup of the naughties marked by the “comeback” of Domenico Morfeo, who stole the spotlight with a double whammy of goals and assists (setting up his teammate Nicola Ventola for his own brace). Back “home” in Bergamo, the Marsican magician wasted no time, lighting up the Stadio Friuli in just 120 seconds as our number 3 sent a ball to Berretta, whose sliding shot was deflected into Ventola’s path, and the striker finished it off to give Atalanta the early lead.

Two minutes later, Morfeo was at it again, this time on the scoresheet. A cross from Donati found him in space, and after a silky first touch with his right foot, he volleyed past Turci with his left foot in just a blink of an eye.

Despite the two-goal deficit, the hosts gave tit-for-tat with relentless pressure in an attempt to get back into the game, but a young Ivan Pelizzoli shut down their efforts with three key saves before Morfeo again sealed the result in the 20th minute with his second assist of the day: a long through ball to slice through the Udinese lines and set up Ventola one-on-one with the opposing keeper.

In the 33rd minute, the hosts pulled one back with a goal from former player Sottil, who beat Pelizzoli from close range. Eight minutes later, Atalanta wrapped up the game with Morfeo, who spun and finished off Doni’s assist for his second goal of the match, sending the teams to the break with a 4-1 scoreline.

After the Nerazzurri’s perfect storm in the first half, Vavassori’s side opted for a more cautious and tactical approach in the second, focusing on shutting down the space and chances for the hosts. Udinese pushed hard to get back into the match but were continually thwarted by an on-fire Pelizzoli, who only finally conceded in the 76th minute as Gargo’s header found the back of the net.

In how many consecutive outings have we scored against Udinese?

While Udinese hold the overall advantage in the total number of goals scored between the two teams (79 for the Friulani compared to 59 for Atalanta), recent history has shown a different trend. Atalanta are currently riding an unbeaten scoring streak of 10 consecutive away games in all competitions against Udinese, breaking the previous record of 8 matches (stretching from the 1930/41 Serie B MD1, namely the first-ever outing in Udine, to the 1954/55 top-flight MD34). The last time Atalanta went scoreless in Udine was in the 2-0 defeat on matchday 8 of Serie A in the 2014/15 season.

This run of consistent goalscoring has translated into strong results, with 7 matches (3 wins and 4 draws) benefiting Atalanta, alongside the 3 victories for the home side.

Here’s a complete breakdown of Atalanta’s scoring streak (goalscorers in parentheses):

1. Udinese 3-1 Atalanta, 2015/16 Coppa italia Round 4 (Monachello);
2. Udinese 2-1 Atalanta, 2015/16 Serie A MD18 (D’Alessandro);
3. Udinese 1-1 Atalanta, 2016/17 Serie A MD35 (Cristante);
4. Udinese 2-1 Atalanta, 2017/18 Serie A MD11 (Kurtic);
5. Udinese 1-3 Atalanta, 2018/19 Serie A MD15 (3 Zapata)
6. Udinese 2-3 Atalanta, 2019/20 Serie A MD28 (Zapata, 2 Muriel)
7. Udinese 1-1 Atalanta, 2020/21 Serie A MD10 (Muriel);
8. Udinese 2-6 Atalanta, 2021/22 Serie A MD21(Pašalić, 2 Muriel, Malinovskyi, Maehle, Pessina)
9. Udinese 2-2 Atalanta, 2022/23 Serie A MD9 (Lookman, Muriel);
10. Udinese1-1 Atalanta, 2023/24 Serie A MD12 (Éderson);