Udinese began their pre-season campaign in Mittersill, Austria, with a 2-0 defeat to Championship side Swansea City on Thursday 24 July.
The Serie A side struggled to find their rhythm against a Swansea team that has already begun competitive preparations, with the Welsh club's EFL Cup campaign starting on 8 August. Liam Cullen opened the scoring in the sixth minute, slotting home from close range after being played through on the left side of the box.
Udinese held their shape defensively after the early setback, closing down Swansea's attacking moves effectively. The best chance of the first half for Kosta Runjaic's men came just before the break, when Souleymane Yao drove into the box and fired just wide of the far post.
Runjaic made ten changes at half-time, introducing a completely different outfield eleven. The fresh legs gave Udinese more impetus, particularly down the right flank through Abankwah, Vojvoda, and Gomez. Davis saw a turning effort blocked around the hour mark, sparking a period of pressure that included two long-range efforts parried by the Swansea defence and a Davis backheel from a corner saved by Fisher.
Edoardo Piana made a fine save to deny a deflected Woodward strike as the visitors threatened on the break. Udinese pushed for an equaliser in the final ten minutes, with substitute Pejicic adding energy to the attack. Zarraga's cross found Gomez in the box but he could only glance a header wide.
Swansea made the points safe when Elijah Just cut in from the right and beat Piana at the near post from the edge of the area. There was still time for Opoku to hit the woodwork from close range after Piana's save, confirming the 2-0 scoreline.
Udinese will face UAE side Shabab Al-Ahli on Tuesday 28 July at Neukirchen am Grossvenediger as they continue their pre-season build-up ahead of the 2026-27 Serie A campaign.
Sources
- https://www.udinese.it/news/squadra/udinese-swansea-0-2
- https://www.udinese.it/news/squadra/udinese-swansea-le-parole-di-palma-e-runjaic-nel-post-partita
