Hellas Verona scored a come from behind win over Udinese 2-1

Udinese 1-2 Hellas Verona

Lazaros Christodoulopoulos inspired Hellas Verona to a 2-1 come-from-behind victory at Udinese on Sunday as they ended a three-match losing run in Serie A.

Udinese captain Antonio Di Natale put the hosts ahead in the 31st minute before Christodoulopoulos set up Luca Toni for the equaliser before half-time.

The Greece international then put Hellas in front for good with his first goal of the season two minutes after the restart.

The Verona outfit held on for their fourth league win of the campaign, their first since October 4.

The outcome, Udinese's second loss at home this season, lifted Hellas to 13th place, five points clear of the drop zone.

Udinese, meanwhile, remain eighth but could fall further down the table if Fiorentina beat Cesena later on Sunday.

Christodoulopoulos sent an early warning when he forced Udinese goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis to fully stretch to clear his 20-yard bullet strike.

Hellas produced a good chance to break the deadlock in the 26th minute but Toni's close-range header from Emil Hallfredsson's cross went wide.

At the other end, Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu drilled a right-footed shot from outside the area that forced Hellas goalkeeper Francesco Benussi to fully stretch to clear.

Udinese went in front in the 31st minute when Di Natale got past his marker and headed Bruno Fernandes' cross past a helpless Benussi.

Hellas reacted and got back on level terms on the stroke of half-time when Christodoulopoulos. spotted Toni in the box and his left-footed shot towards the near post beat Karnezis.

The visitors picked up where they left off after the restart and were.rewarded when Christodoulopoulos. burst into the Udinese penalty area and unleashed a right-footed shot to beat Karnezis.

Udinese wasted a good chance to pull level before the hour but Giovanni Pasquale's dangerous cross failed to find a team-mate in the box.

The home side continued to press forward and were almost successful four minutes from time.

However, Benussi made sure his team took all three points when he made a vital save from Silvan Widmer's close-range effort.

Udinese wins over Lazio, climbs to 3rd spot in Serie A

Thereau scores lone goal to lead Udinese over Lazio; move into third in Serie A

ROME - Udinese moved into third place in the Serie A with a 1-0 win at Lazio on Thursday.

Forward Cyril Thereau scored in the 26th minute for the visitors, slotting in from the centre of the area between two defenders at the Stadio Olimpico.

The victory placed Udinese within three points of Italian leaders Juventus and Roma, who won their fourth consecutive matches on Wednesday.

Lazio is 15th.

Still seeking his first goal of the season, veteran Miroslav Klose was a constant threat for Lazio but couldn't find the target.

Also, a free kick from Lazio midfielder Antonio Candreva went wide in the 73rd.

Udinese began with its top scorer Antonio Di Natale on the bench although he went on in the 65th when Thereau exited with a muscle problem.

Former Inter Milan manager Andrea Stramaccioni is in his first season with Udinese and has so far guided the club to three wins and one loss.

Udinese is owned by the Pozzo family, which also controls Watford in England and Granada in Spain. The club's best finishes in the Serie A were second in 1955 and third in 1998 and 2012.

Milan outlast Udinese with Birsa goal

Muntari, Montolivo and Matri prepare for free kick shot by Udinese's Antonio di Natale

It was a night of attrition between equally determined teams, AC Milan and Udinese in the latest round of Serie A.

But the night belong to Valter Birsa who scored the lone goal in a fast paced match but produce only one goal.  The goal came in the 22nd minute when Birsa figured in an exchange with Robinho.  After receiving the pass, Robinho immediately returned the ball to Birsa who fired a curling shot that went through the top right side of the goal, out of reach of Udinese keeper Ivan Kelava. 

Except for that solitary scoring moment, the game became a tug of war punctuated by rough physical play, which resulted in bookings from both sides. Giemperlo Pinzi, Roberto Pereyra and Allan for Udinese and Sulley Muntari and Robinho for AC Milan.  Udinese's best chance for a goal came in the 84th minute when Udinese super striker Antonio Di Natale made a scoring potential pass to Luis Muriel only to be scuttled by Milan defender Ignazio Abate. 

Real Madrid recruit Kaka entered a game as a substitute past the 80th minute mark but failed to score a goal.