Hellas Verona almost held firm to deny Udinese a sixth consecutive victory until Jaka Bijol scored a header in injury time to continue the Bianconeri’s winning streak.
Andrea Sottil’s side had been one of the most in-form teams in Serie A heading into the international break, flying to the upper echelons of the league table after a thunderous run of results against strong opponents like Roma, Inter and Fiorentina.
Things were different in Veneto; Gabriele Cioffi struggled to get the best out of his Verona side in the early stages of this campaign and this left the team languishing in the relegation zone after seven games, picking up only three points after a poor set of results.
Verona took the lead after 23 minutes thanks to a lovely volley from Scottish youngster Josh Doig, who guided the ball into the far corner with precision as it flew down from high above him. The Gialloblu couldn’t convert this into momentum on the pitch, however, and they allowed the away side to dominate the ball for the majority of the match.
Udinese’s efforts were finally rewarded in the 70th minute after a slick attacking move from the Bianconeri, which saw Beto finish a quick spell of play with ease after an accurate pass from Gerard Deulofeu.
The match started to get edgy as the second half ticked down and referee Daniele Minelli was forced to brandish the yellow card on a number of occasions as both sides tried to push for a late winner.
Sottil’s side continued to believe in the win and their dreams came true in extra time as Bijol netted a header at the far post after a curling free kick, guaranteeing Udinese’s sixth consecutive win.